Elijah
by yshann77
Summary: Elijah had always thought that she was normal, but that changed after one fateful night when she met this certain stranger. And that stranger kept on coming back for more. Yup, Victor Creed is on his best behavior.
1. Part One: I'M WATCHING YOU

**Third Story for X-men and I'm still loving Sabertooth. I'm just testing this story. If you like it, I'll continue it, if no one reviews, then I'll just delete this and pretend it never existed. Anyway, please enjoy! ^^**

Part One: I'M WATCHING YOU

The first time I met him, I was making my way back to my apartment. It was raining and I had forgotten to bring my umbrella with me, so I had no choice but to let the rain spatter against my head. It was cold and dark. There were only a few people walking along the streets. I turned a corner, alone and that's when I saw him. He was a tall, huge, scary man. His eyes were dark, his hair was brown and he looked perfectly normal, except for the fact that he had abnormally sharp claws and teeth.

I didn't know him and I hadn't seen him. He didn't know me either and at that time, he had his back turned to me. His claws wouldn't have bothered me since I had seen a lot of mutants running around the city, but what troubled me the most was the horrible scene in front of me. My knees felt like rubber at that time. It seemed like I had even forgotten how to breathe. My heart kept on pounding and I was almost certain that he could hear it. Right there, in front of me, was a guy, who seemed to be the type of guy who would kill without any second thoughts, holding another poor innocent nerdy looking guy by the throat. Blood stained the brick walls. Puddles of blood were everywhere and dead bodies surrounded him. The whole place stunk of blood and it made me feel nauseated. I wanted to throw up.

The nerdy looking guy spotted me and a flash of hope glimmered in his eyes, but the fear was still overwhelming. I could sense it from meters away. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to run and forget what I saw, but I couldn't just leave the poor guy behind.

Suddenly, the other guy, the scary one, seemed to have felt my presence. Slowly, he turned around, his eyes resting on me. It made my spine tingle. Right on the spot, I was so scared that I could possibly faint. I sucked in my breath, as if I believed that if I would just be still and quiet, he would just ignore me. But instead, a smirk crept across his face and without much effort, he snapped the poor guy's neck.

That was the last straw. The blood everywhere seemed to cling to me. The smell filled my nostrils, suffocating. My vision was becoming blurry. My head was screaming for me to run for my life, but my foot wouldn't move. The scary guy started walking towards me. His footsteps echoed noisily in the deserted street. At that time, I thought that I would definitely die. Images of when I was younger flashed inside my mind. I didn't want to die yet. There were still things that I want to do. I want to experience going to London to watch Cats. I want to go skiing. I want to publish my own book. I want to have children. I wanted to have a husband.

When the guy was almost a meter away from me, that was when everything went black. Everything was still and quiet. There was nothing. Not even a sound. I didn't feel pain like what I had expected. Maybe death wasn't so bad after all.

But that was only the beginning...

**:**

When I awoke, I was lying on my bed in my room with my pajamas on. It was still dark outside. The rain spattered against my window and the wind was howling. It was cold despite the fact that I was under the covers of my bed. I couldn't remember how I got there. Was the scary guy real? I wasn't so sure now, but the memory was still fixed inside my head that it was almost real. Was he a dream? A figment of my imagination? An illusion my mind played on me?

The room was dark and I couldn't see much except for the outlines of the things inside the room. My hand crept towards the lamp on top of my bedside table and turned it on. Everything looked the same, but it didn't feel right. Was it just a dream? No, I told myself. I saw it with my very own eyes. But how come I was still alive?

A fleeting movement caught my eyes and I quickly turned towards the source of the strange sound. I saw a bulky man, with long dark coat, looking at the pictures hanging on my wall. He got his hands behind his back and unfortunately, his back was turned from me. I saw the meanest and deadliest looking nails ever. I wasn't even sure if they were called nails. It almost looked like claws to me.

So it was real after all.

But that didn't make me feel any better. This wasn't good. I knew what he was capable of but I didn't even want to know. Without tearing my eyes off him, I searched for the steel baseball bat I kept just behind my bedside table. It just made me feel better at night knowing that I had something to use as a weapon near me when I sleep. It wouldn't hurt for a girl, who's living alone, to be cautious, right?

I wrapped my fingers around the steel bat, ready to swing it if he ever came near me.

"Don't even think about it."

I froze and it felt like my heart also stopped beating.

"Even if you use that on me, it wouldn't work," he went on, not turning around. I could sense a hint of amusement in his voice and instead of making me more frightened, it made me even more irritated.

I didn't say anything, but I didn't let go either.

Finally, the guy turned around and I got a better view of his face. He had long side burns that reached his lower jaw. His eyes were dark, glinting with mischief and it looked almost threatening. The smirk on his face showed off his sharp canines. He reminded me vaguely of a bear, especially since he had a well built body, stuffed with taut muscles.

"Who are you?" I asked, finally finding my voice.

"Victor Creed, at your service," he said, bowing slightly.

I looked at him, suspiciously. "What service?"

Pretending that he didn't even hear me, he walked towards the opposite side of the room, continuing his exploration of my room. Did he bring me here? How did he know where I live? Heat suddenly rose to my cheeks as another thought entered my head. Did he dress me up? The more I thought of it, the more my face felt hotter and hotter.

"By the way, I suggest you lay off the chocolates," Victor suddenly said, interrupting my dreadful train of thoughts.

"What?" I almost shouted, not able to control myself. I pulled the covers closer to me, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. I watched him, warily, feeling every muscle of my body tense.

"You know what I mean," he said, his smirk widened. And it scared the hell out of me.

"What do you want?" I snapped. I was disturbed by the thought of him changing my clothes without my permission and while I was unconscious. But of course, I still denied the fact that he was the one who changed my clothes, but still, it was disturbing.

"Nothing."

I gritted my teeth, trying hard not to shout at him. To be honest, I was afraid. Well, who wouldn't? This man, standing in front of me, was a killer. I could see it in his eyes. He held no regret, nor remorse for what he did. It was what he did best. And what he did wasn't so good. He would snap anyone's neck if you blocked his path. He was like an animal who's ready to kill in order to survive.

I wasn't convinced that he didn't want anything from me. I wanted to ask him why he didn't kill me, but I was afraid of the answer so I just bit my tongue to prevent myself from saying anything.

Victor walked over to the windows, after he finished staring at the pictures hanging on the wall. Opening the window, he turned to me. "By the way, if I were you, I wouldn't even think of telling others what you had seen last night," he said, the smile still not disappearing from his face. The hair on my arms stood, making me shudder.

"I'm watching your every move, Elijah Halpern," Victor said and in a blink of an eye, he was gone.

**Well, I hope you like it. I know it may be a little too boring, but I promise you, the next chapters would be much better and longer. I'm just checking if this story might actually work. Anyway, please review...PLEASE! ^^**

**P.S: Sorry for the shortness and for the minor mistakes. I don't have much time to edit it... I always don't.**

**(Thanks Masked Revolt for the help!)**


	2. Part Two: JUST A DREAM

**Thank you for all those who reviewed. I really appreciated. i'm sorry for taking too long to update. i had a very busy week as always...Anyway, please enjoy! ^^**

Part Two: JUST A DREAM

When I awoke the next day, my head was fuzzy. There was a low buzzing sound in my ears and I was worried because I might have gotten tinnitus, but of course older people usually get tinnitus and not people who were still studying in college.

I rolled out of bed, feeling all tired and weary. I didn't want to wake up, but I had to go to school. It was my duty and the only reason why I moved out of my house and settled down in the city. I got myself a small beat down apartment but it was still bearable. My school was not that far away. I could always use a cab or simply, just walk. After I attend my classes, I had to go to my work which was a bookkeeper in a bookstore. I liked my work. It's a quiet job and it didn't cause too much stress. Plus, I get to hang out with my best friends: the books.

Without realizing it, I had successfully dragged my body towards the shower, letting the water soaked me. My stiff muscles felt relaxed as the warm water hit me. The fuzziness in my head was fading away. I wondered why I felt so...exhausted.

Stepping out of the bathroom, with nothing but a towel around me, I picked out what I should wear. I stared at my wardrobe and couldn't help but noticed that I had nothing but 5 pairs of jeans, and a dozen of t-shirts. No dresses, skirts nor shorts. I always wear the same thing and it's alright for me because I feel comfortable wearing those. My head was throbbing. Something was making me wish that I would crash back to bed, but I had to attend my classes. I passed the kitchen, not even thinking of eating. I was too troubled to even think of eating.

Leaving my apartment, I heard the usual noises erupting from my neighbors. The usual crying coming from the family who lived beside me was always annoying, but now, I didn't even seem to notice it.

My head felt heavy as well the steps I took in going to my university which was almost three blocks from my apartment. I passed by the wall where I first saw him last night. It crept me out as I stared at it. There weren't any sign of violence, or even the blood I had seen the night before. I wasn't even sure if it was just a dream or a reality. But one thing I knew for sure. His face and his voice were real. it was impossible for me to just make it up, though my parents did say that I had a wild imagination. But still, I believed that he's real. I felt it. I had experienced it. I had seen it with my own two eyes.

Without me realizing it, I had reached my classes. I sat at the very back, letting the words of my college professor passed through my ears, not a word sinking in my more I thought of what had happened last night, the more I convinced myself that it was just a nightmare. It wasn't unusual for me to dream things up.I usually do, actually.

Those thoughts occupied my mind the whole time I was in school. His face kept popping inside my head. The terrifying scene laid out in front of my eyes burned holes inside my head. it was making it hard for me to concentrate on my studies. During lunch break, I lost my appetite again so I didn't even bother eating. I went directly to the library, and started doing my homework to keep my mind away from those troubling thoughts, but my mind kept drifting away from reality.

At the corner of my eyes, I saw a glimpse of the end of a long black eerie coat- the same coat he had worn. I shook my head, reminding myself that he was just an imagination. He wasn't real.

The whole day, I felt like I was behind a glass wall.I saw everything happening in front of me, but I felt nothing. My head was still up in the clouds. One time, I even hit my head on a lamp post while I was going to work. I kept bumping to all sorts of people and they, in turn, kept shouting at me. What could I say? I wasn't even paying attention to anything.

I reached the bookstore in which I worked. It was owned by an elderly woman with three grandchildren working along with me. She was a nice old lady. Sometimes, her family would invite me in their dinner. Of course I would accept the invitation since I lived alone in a beat up apartment. The invitation was tempting.

I loved my work. It was just quiet, simple and easy job. it wasn't boring for me at all. I get to spend time with books. Plus, Mrs. Newton and her grandchildren were quite a good company. Even though there were only few visitors coming to the bookstore, there wasn't even a time when I didn't do anything. I always get to arrange the books in the bookshelves. It was my task.

But even during my work hours, I couldn't think straight. I even fell from the ladder. This day was really horrible. Plus, my stomach kept on growling. I hadn't eaten anything for the whole day.

"It's closing time, Elijah," Nick Newton told me, shaking my shoulder gently.

I was quite startled in hearing his voice. He had pulled me back to reality. "Uh. Yeah, of course it is," I stammered, straightening up a little.

I stared outside the window shop. It was dark now and the traffic was gone. I sighed. It was funny how I hadn't noticed that time was flying so fast today.

"Do you want to join us in dinner tonight?" Mrs. Newton asked me, before I bid farewell to the others. We were now standing outside the store, with our coats pulled tighter. It was cold today and the wind wasn't being too merciful as it blew harshly on us.

"Uh, I think I have to say no to that offer, Mrs. Newton, but I'm still grateful for inviting me," I said. I didn't know what hit me to decline the offer, but all the thinking had made me feel so exhausted. Plus, the weather wasn't helping.

Mrs. Newton just smiled, but she didn't say anything. She and her grandchildren said goodbye to me, before heading off to the opposite direction I was going. I was walking alone now. Cars zoomed past me. I saw suspicious people loitering around the streets, but none bothered looking at my direction. As I walked, my stomach kept protesting, asking me why I didn't say yes to Mrs. Newton's offer. But I just ignored it. I knew how to cook anyway and my refrigerator was now stuffed with food, unlike the first few months that I lived alone.

I turned to the usual secluded corner where it all started: the reason for my troubles. As I walked, I couldn't help but stare at the brick wall. There were no blood stains. On the damp asphalt, there were no signs of blood. I didn't even hear any news about missing people, or some homicides. There was nothing unusual about today. It was just an ordinary day. Last night was just a dream.

As I studied that brick wall, I searched for any evidence that last night had even occurred. I wanted to make sure if I was simply becoming delusional or insane. Either way, I didn't want to find out. The wall was clean; no sign of violence or whatsoever. And I was relieved.

Feeling a little frivolous upon discovering that nothing really had happened last night, I arrived at my worn out apartment with a foolish grin. But the grin was quickly replaced by a frown when I saw the door left ajar. I cautiously approached the door and peeked inside. I was sure that I had locked it before I left.

I let my eyes get adjusted to the darkness inside the room. It was eerily quiet but I was used to it. it was a reminder that I now lived by myself. I'm Elijah Halpern, aged 18 and now an official adult. I enjoyed living alone. I got to do whatever I want.

True, it was a little hard to get used to it at first, especially since I lived miles away from home. My first few months living alone in the city was difficult. I didn't have a job then, so I barely had enough money to eat. Luckily, Nick Newton, a classmate of mine, let me work with them in the bookstore. So now, I was living a much easier life then before.

Shaking my head from side to side, I convinced myself that I was just getting a little too paranoid. My hand reached for the switch to turn on the light, but I froze when I heard something.

There were voices coming from my bedroom. That was unusual. Could it be that I left my television on? No. That was impossible. I hadn't even turned it on. Ignoring the fact that it was dark, I crept towards the door that led to my bedroom, leaving the front door open so that everyone would hear me if ever I scream.

The voices were becoming louder and I could hear some chuckling sound coming from the other side of the door. Someone was in there, watching t.v. I took a deep breath, trying to clam down my wildly beating heart. The suspense was killing me. I wanted to know who was in my bedroom, but I didn't want to be careless at the same time.

My fingers closed in the doorknob, debating whether I should open it, or call for help now. Anyhow, I turned the knob and braced myself for what I was about to see. I know it was stupid to open the door, without even holding something to use as a weapon, but as I said, I couldn't think straight.

"What took you so long?"

I jumped as I heard a deep velvety voice. It was familiar. Lying shamelessly on top of my bed was the same guy I had seen the night before. It was Victor Creed.

I stood there, astonished. Our eyes were locked on each other and it made me shiver seeing how endless his dark eyes seemed to be. I knew what he was capable of and it made me stiff with fright.

"Well?" Victor said, sounding impatient. "Aren't you going to prepare dinner?"

I hadn't noticed that my mouth was hanging open as I stared at him. First, I wanted to glare at him for the lack of manners. Second, I wanted to drive him out of my apartment because he had trespassed on a private property. Third, I was angry at him for I knew what he could do to me and I was afraid of that.

"What you waiting for?" he asked.

Without saying another word, I quickly turned around and headed for the kitchen. My heart was pounding so hard against my chest that it was making it hard for me to breathe. What the hell was he doing here? Wasn't he supposed to be a dream? The headache from this morning went back to me. _Damn. _

I didn't want to do what he asked me to do, but I was afraid what he might do to me if I didn't follow him. I could see in his eyes that he wouldn't even think twice before killing anyone. Opening the refrigerator, I remembered that I hadn't turned the lights on yet.

"Can you see through the dark or are you really that stupid?"

I whipped around, biting my tongue to prevent myself from screaming like a girl. Victor was standing beside the (now) closed door. The lights were on thanks to him. I was bewildered at how fast he had gotten in there.

"I'm not stupid," I blurted out. My eyes went wide as I realized that I had said that aloud. But it didn't cross my mind to even apologize. It was as if the word sorry tasted sour to my mouth. I just couldn't stand apologizing, especially to a guy like him.

Victor smirked. "That's new," he snickered. He plopped down on the couch. "Carry on."

Throwing a venomous look at his back, I reached for the frozen meat inside the refrigerator. My hands were trembling as I reached out for the things I needed to prepare dinner.

What was he doing here? What did he want from me? Those questions kept inserting themselves inside my head. Of course I was having a seriously panicking inside, but I couldn't help but be curious. If he was real- which he obviously was- why didn't he kill me? Murderers usually do that to witnesses, especially those weak ones.

While cooking, I couldn't help but glanced at him. He was peculiar, visibly a mutant. His claws were unmistakably unusual. He looked partly amused as he observed my apartment. But whenever he would sensed that I was staring at him, I would quickly turn away. I wouldn't want to be caught looking at him.

"Smells good," Victor said. He was now standing behind me, looking at what I was doing. "I hope you had put poison in it."

Again, I almost jumped when I heard his voice. His breath tickled the back of my neck as he stood too closely behind me. "I made sure that I would use the best poison I got," I muttered, under my breath as he walked away from me. My voice was too low for me to hear.

Victor laughed and it sent shivers down my spine. It was a creepy laugh. He switched his attention to the pictures hanging on the wall, just like what he had done the first night. I wondered why he was liked looking at the pictures. It's not like it was interesting or something.

After a few more minutes, I finished cooking. I laid the plates on the table and Victor quickly took his seat. I just stood there, leaning on the counter, watching him gobbled down his meal.

Aside from the fact that I was scared to death, just watching a killer eat in front of me, I was slightly amused by how hungry he ate his food. It was as if he was afraid he would actually leave a crumb on his plate. As I watched him ate, I took the opportunity to ask him a question.

"What do you want from me?"

Victor stopped for a moment. "Food."

I raised an eyebrow, skeptically. I didn't believe him. What if he wanted more from me? Like my money? Or my life?

"Don't believe me?" he asked, putting down the spoon and fork; his eyes resting on me.

I didn't say anything.

"You're still alive, aren't you?" he said.

"I think so," I mumbled, avoiding his eyes.

He chuckled. "Funny. But in exchange for letting you live, you must make me dinner every night."

I stared, disbelieving at him. I would rather die than to see him every night.

Another chuckle. "Yup. You heard me."

"Why?" I asked. It made me even more curious. Why me? I wasn't a superb cook. I just cook edible food but I didn't know how to cook mouth watering food.

"Because you still got some other uses for me," he said, smirking, revealing his sharp teeth. It made me shudder.

"What use?" I asked. The hunger I felt a while ago had completely left me. I was sure that he knew I was scared. It was as if he got this spell over me which made me feel so terrified of him. I knew what he was capable of doing. And whatever he did wasn't so good.

"You'll found out."

**I hoped you like it. Anyway, please review. ^^**


	3. Part Three: WHY ME?

**Thanks for those who reviewed, and now I shall apologize for the mistakes I have committed in the previous chapters. I shall try my best to double/triple check my work...anyway, please review! ^^**

Part Three: WHY ME?

The next morning, I awoke feeling more irked than the day before. I didn't know which was worse. The fact that I had witnessed a brutal murder, or that fact that a monster shamelessly crashed inside my house and started ordering me around. Last night was a nightmare. I didn't even get some answers from him. He was so...impossible!

I jumped out of bed and grumbled all throughout the time I prepared myself for school. I barely had enough sleep since I had to study. Plus, Victor left me alone at around 2 in the morning. That meant I had to endure six hours of being ordered around. It was as if he actually owned this place. Of course, I would gladly revolt against him but I was too afraid of what he could possibly do to me if I didn't abide to his rules. My life was too important to me than my dignity.

Passing the kitchen, my stomach growled noisily. I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. My mouth watered as I thought of hot dogs. Since I didn't have enough time to fix myself a breakfast, I decided to buy something to eat along the way.

Walking alone wasn't a bad thing. It gave me time to think, which was what I really needed after what had happened two nights ago. Victor had mentioned something about my other uses. What did he mean? And how come he knew a lot about me when we just met each other? He knew my schedule. He knew where I was for the last few weeks. But that wasn't the only thing which had bothered me. How come he knew a lot about me, but I hadn't even seen him? Had he been spying on me?

Those thoughts kept nagging me inside my head. How did he know me? Was there a certain reason why he was so...interested? I wasn't even sure if the right word was interested, but as far as I'm concern, he looked interested and that wasn't a good thing. If being interested meant he would torture me every single day, then I'd rather die.

I passed by a hot dog stand and I quickly veered my attention toward the vendor. He was a pudgy man with a circular head. He got a red cap on his head and he looked bored as he stood beside his hot dog stand. It must have been boring working as a vendor. Paying for a hot dog, I resumed my walk, as well as my thoughts.

My normal day went on. I listened and tried my best to understand what my professor was talking about. Just like yesterday, my thoughts prevented me to focus. His face kept on popping back inside my head and it would make it all the more complicated. I just couldn't understand him.

A flashback of what had happened last night entered my head. After Victor had finished eating, he just stood up and sat down on the couch. I didn't move, just stared at him. His move was peculiar. It was as if every move he made was guarded and tensed. It was as if nothing could ever surprise him.

"You're afraid?" he sneered.

I didn't answer. Duh. Of course I would be scared. Who wouldn't? He was a killer and he's inside my house. And I was being held hostage against my will. Well, at least that's what I think I was. I went towards the table and cleaned after him, like a faithful servant. He got what he wanted, so that meant he would just go, right? But I was wrong.

He just sat there, looking around the house. It was as if he was trying to memorize everything in it, and I could helped but gaped at his claws. Those were one scary looking claws. It almost looked like daggers instead of long sharp nails. My hands trembled as I picked up the plate as well as the spoon and fork. Even though my mind kept telling me to stop it, my hands wouldn't listen. It just went on shaking.

"You stank of fear," he mused.

I ignored him, getting more and more irritated.

Victor studied his claws with a look of disgust on his face. As I neared the sink, I couldn't help but wonder what it felt to be a mutant like him. A lot of people hated them, but there were a lot of people who could live peacefully with them. Me? I didn't care. I didn't exactly hate them, but more likely, mystified by them. Why were they made differently from us? I didn't see the point of it, at all. Yet again, life was simply unfair.

Victor turned on the television and shamelessly put his feet on top of the coffee table. Immediately, the room was filled with voices coming from the television. I glowered silently. I couldn't stand him being under the same roof as I was. Plus, he acted like he owned the whole place. What was with him? He may get whatever he wants by threatening people, but I wouldn't keep quiet about this.

"You got something to say?" he asked, a smirk creeping on his face.

An automatic response slipped out of my mouth. "No."

"That's good to hear. At least we understand each other." And he turned his attention back to the television.

My tongue itched to ask him a question, but something was pulling me back. I was afraid. The fear was being a hindrance in gathering information. I got to admit. I'm a nosy brat who would want to have all the answers to every question in the entire world, but at the same time, I'm lazy. Yup, I'm lazy. I hate studying. I hate physical activities like running. No, that was an understatement. I _loath _running. And I'm a very queer person. When I ask, I would want an immediate reply. I'm impatient, impulsive and stubborn.

"Get me something to drink," Victor suddenly said, looking at me again. Our eyes met for a brief second, but I quickly pulled away. I didn't like to look at his eyes. It made me shudder. I went to the refrigerator and looked for a soda, or something. I would gladly put poison on his drink, but unfortunately, I hadn't restocked my poison storage since I wasn't expecting any visitor. And that was me being sarcastic.

I cautiously walked towards him, making sure I would maintain a safe distance between the two of us. I handed the can of soda and he snatched it, without even saying thank you. Not that I was expecting him to say thank you.

He popped it open with one fluid movement and gulped the contents down. Since when was the last time this guy ate something?

"Here," he said, handing me back an empty can. "Get me another one."

If it wasn't for the knowledge of what he could do to me, I wouldn't have gotten him another can of soda, but luck wasn't on my side tonight. I got another can and gave it to him, biting my tongue so as not to say something that would only make him want to kill me.

"Thank you," he said, which caught me off guard.

He did just say thank you, right?

My stomach growled, loudly. Hastily, I put a hand on my stomach, as if that would silenced it. I was hoping that Victor would be too busy minding his own business, but when I glanced at him, his gaze was on me. _Darn. _This was embarrassing.

Victor chuckled. "Hungry?"

"No," I quickly lied.

He just shrugged. "Do whatever you want. If you die because of hunger, don't blame me."

I rolled my eyes, but I just remained silent. There was no point talking to him. If this kept on going, I would gladly kill myself for him.

**:**

"Elijah, heads up."

I snapped out of my thoughts and realized that Odel had thrown something to me. I instinctively caught it with one hand. Even thought I wasn't good at sports or any physical activities, I was great in catching. It was my favorite hobby when I was younger. I loved playing catch. And now I wonder, is catching even considered as a hobby?

"It seems like you're thinking of someone," Odel Newton said, taking the vacant seat beside me. Time do pass by so quickly. I hadn't even noticed that the day was about to end and I was now at work. It was funny how I could walk on the clouds everyday without even realizing it.

No response came out of my mind. What would I tell him? Yeah, telling him that I was only thinking of the murderer who visited me last night was a good idea. No. That was a big no-no. And anyway, I wasn't so sure if I was thinking of a person, an animal or a monster.

"Is it a boy?"

Still no answer.

"Is he from your class?"

"No," I mumbled. Of course he wasn't. He looked ten years older than me. I wasn't even sure of his age. With the way he looked, he was like an overgrown grizzly bear-but it's not like I had seen a grizzly bear, though I would bet that Victor would look just like it. Anyway, returning to the point, Victor looked like he was in his late thirties. Well, assuming, that is, that he was in his late thirties, then that would mean I was 20 years older than me. That wasn't surprising.

Odel looked at me, waiting for an answer.

"What?" I asked.

A smile tugged the corner of his lips. "Nothing."

Rolling my eyes, I averted my attention from him to the object he had thrown to me. It was a sandwich. It wasn't unusual to receive these things from the Newtons. They just loved cooking, especially eating. What could I say? Being a great cook ran in their blood.

Odel Newton was only a fourteen year old. He's the younger brother of Nick Newton. The two of them both got the same green eyes and sandy brown hair. To be honest, they almost looked the same, except for the fact that Nick got thick pair of glasses. Odel got a muscular body, unlike his older brother Nick. Their interests weren't the same either. Odel was more into music while Nick was more into science. Either way, they both loved cooking too. That was the only thing that prevented them from fighting.

Odel was like a little brother to me. He was someone who you could get along with very well. He was humorous, light-hearted and friendly. I hadn't seen him get angry or anything like that. He was a sweet kid, a smart guy too, though sometimes, he just wouldn't keep his mouth shut.

I nibbled quietly on my sandwich, staring out of the shop window. I watched as people passed by the store, not one of them even bothered stopping by to peer at the window. No one at all. Odel sighed. "It seems like nobody really like reading books too much nowadays," he said.

"I don't think so," I told him, trying hard not to dishearten him.

"Well, I couldn't blame them. The internet got more to offer than books."

Odel was being melodramatic again. He got his head bowed down and he was pouting. I let out a sigh and quickly turned back to him. I had heard of the same speech for over a thousand times already. And I was getting tired of it. I patted the top of his head. "Don't worry, there are still a lot who enjoys reading."

Odel shrugged, but a smile lit up his face as we heard the familiar ring of the bell whenever the door opens. "Our first customer."

"Actually, it's the third," I informed him.

He laughed. "I know that."

Chuckling, I stood up and went to look at who's the lucky guy who entered the bookstore. My eyes widened as I took a glimpse of the customer. It was a man with broad shoulders. The guy was tall, taller than Nick. There was something familiar about him. The usual quiet and peaceful atmosphere inside the bookstore suddenly turned heavy and bleak. Nick's back was turned on me and he was blocking my view to the costumer's face, although I got a hunch of who he was.

"I'm just looking," the smooth low voice said.

Nick shrugged. "Sure. Take your time." He stepped back, giving way for the costumer. And that was when I got a good view of who he was. It was Victor Creed, the guy I abhor. What the heck was he doing here? I didn't know that he could read. I thought he was more of the idiotic type. You know, all muscles, no brains.

Victor walked towards me, a smirk pasted on his face. He looked scary. It reminded me of how lions would usually look at a deer. He passed by me, completely ignoring me. I felt relieved as he went on to the shelves. I was glad that he didn't say anything creepy to me like, "I'm watching you," or maybe, "I know what you're doing." I sucked in my breath. But I wondered why he was here? If he wanted to ruin the Newtons lives then I wouldn't keep quiet about it.

Gathering up my courage, I dragged myself towards him, putting on the most venomous look I could muster. "What are you doing here?" I whispered at him, as soon as I reached him.

Victor pretended that he hadn't heard me. He got one book on his hands and he was scanning the pages. But the mischievous smile on his face was evident.

Just by looking at him, my knees felt weak. What was I going to do? He could kill ten people within five seconds. I'm just a weak, harmless, innocent girl who got mixed up to all of this just because I went home late at night! I wondered if I went home earlier, this guy wouldn't be standing here in front of me now and I wouldn't be trembling deep inside.

"Have you ever read this?" Victor suddenly said, holding up a think book. It was entitled "The Importance Of Being Earnest." Of course I know that book. I read it when I was only ten years old. It was written by Oscar Wilde.

"Yes."

Victor chuckled. "Nice book, don't you think."

I nodded my head. "It's amusing and entertaining."

Victor put the book down and went to the other side. He got his hand on his chin as he studied each book on the shelf.

"Well? What do you want?" I repeated, impatiently.

"Nothing."

I rolled my eyes. Oh come one, I had heard much better excuses than that. "Fine," I spat, finally giving up. This guy wouldn't tell me anything no matter what kind of tactics I would use. I turned on my heel and went back to Odel and Nick. The two of them were arranging some books on the other line of shelves.

"What are you guys looking at?" I asked.

"You know him?" Nick asked.

I shrugged. "Sort of."

The two brothers looked at each other and a mutual understanding passed between them. "Interesting," the both mused.

I raised an eyebrow. "What's that for?"

And the two brothers didn't say a word.

An hour had passed and Victor didn't go away. It made me think that he was just trying to test my patience. The whole time he was there, I was tensed. I half expected him to jump and cut anybody's throat if they just looked at him. And I was sure that he knew that I was nervous. The smile on his face lingered. It made it ever more difficult for me to concentrate on my own work. He was ticking me off by simply standing there.

Finally, Victor put the last book down and headed out of the store, without saying any word. A huge wave of relief washed over me as he left. It was as if a heavy load had just came off my shoulders. It was good thing he didn't do anything stupid around here.

Nick stood beside me. "I wonder what he wants," he said.

I shrugged. "Whatever he wants, he didn't find it."

"Actually, he found what he wanted."

I looked at him, quite astonished. "He bought something?"

Nick shook his head. "He vandalized on one of the shelves."

I narrowed my eyes. "He wrote something?" I asked.

"No, he _carved _something."

"What did he wrote?"

"He drew a smiling face," Nick said, shuddering slightly. "You saw his nails? Those are one nasty things."

Duh. I had seen it two nights ago.

Not long after Victor, we closed down the shop and prepared ourselves to go home.

"Are you sure you don't want to have dinner with us?" Odel asked, pouting slightly.

I forced out a laugh. "Nah, I've still got a lot of left over from last night," I lied. Of course I would gladly come over to their house and have dinner with them, but Victor was waiting for me. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't something I was looking forward to.

"Okay, if you say so," Odel said, sighing.

"Well then, good night," I said.

"Good night. Be careful," Nick told me, before ushering his younger brother to walk towards the opposite direction I was heading to. When they were out of hearing range, I let out an exhausted sigh. I could just ditch Victor, but I was afraid that he might hunt me down for the rest of my life just because of that.

I turned to the same corner, expecting that I would still be alone, but I froze when I saw Victor leaning on the brick wall, waiting for me. He got this devious grin on his face and it made the hair on my arm stood. What did he want now?

"What took you so long?" Victor said, his voice ringing in the deserted corner.

"I need to close the store since Mrs. Newton's not feeling well today," I told him, trying to sound brave.

Victor chuckled. "Well, shall we?"

I gazed at him, suspiciously. I didn't trust him one bit. He could instantly kill me if I just turn my back on him, but something was telling me that this wouldn't stay for too long. He would get tired of me and eventually kill me. That was how heartless murderers think anyway.

My feet was planted firmly on the asphalt. "You go first," I said. I didn't know what hit me to say those words.

Victor looked amused. "I'm not going to eat you," he said, raising his hands as if he was innocent.

"Yeah right," I muttered under my breath. Nevertheless, I started moving, leading him the way. It was dark and the wind kept on blowing, making strands of hair fly in front of my face. I could feel his eyes were on me, and it made me more uncomfortable. I recalled what my dad always told me about being alone with a guy in a deserted place, especially at night. It wasn't a good thing, and it made me all the more nervous.

"Nervous?" Victor spoke up, destroying the silence between us.

"Why?"

"That's because I'm here," he said.

My heart kept pounding and my hands began sweating.

Suddenly, Victor leaned towards me."You should be," he whispered, his breath washing over the back of my neck. He sounded scary and it seemed like he meant it.

When would this ever end?

**Well? I hope you like it. By the way, I wasn't successful in editing this one, but I'll try my best to edit this as well as the previous chapters...anyway, please REVIEW. ^^**


	4. Part Four: I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU

**Here's Chapter Four! Yey! Thank you for those who reviewed in the previous chapters. Those reviews inspired me a lot and urged me to continue my story. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy reading this. ^^**

Part Four: I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU

Nights had passed and the notorious Victor Creed really did keep his words. Every night, he would either be waiting inside my apartment, or simply, coming to the bookstore to get me. It's not like I could run away from him. For the passed few days, I had discovered what Victor's mutation was. He got inhuman strength. His senses were keen as an animal. And the way he moved reminded me now of a wolf instead of a bear. Wolves hunt to live. Bears eat to live. Victor Creed was a wolf since he hunts to live. And I was the poor prey.

I hadn't been able to sleep properly for weeks. I had nightmares of Victor actually finishing me off. Everyday, my hatred grew. There were times, I would be able to gather up my courage and scold him about his manners, or about the way he would mess up my apartment, but I would always get the same response from him every night.

"So?" he would ask sarcastically with the same subtle grin he always wore. I would gladly wipe it off his face someday...somehow.

There were nights where I wouldn't be too afraid of him since I was just too tired from work and from my studies. Normally, I would be in a sour mood whenever I see him and my mood would worsen whenever I would see his signature smirk. Although I wasn't too afraid of him now, I was still cautious about my actions. Victor was still a killer, no matter what perspective I would look at him.

"Why didn't you just kill me?" I asked him, one night, when I was far too tired to be frightened by him. It was the question which had been bothering me ever since I first met him. Why me?

"You've got your uses," he replied.

"And what are my uses?"

He paused and looked thoughtful for a moment. At that time, he almost looked...human. "You feed me," he said, a smile creeping to his face. "And maybe some other stuff if I'm in the mood." His smile widened even more. His response scared the hell out of me so I just kept quiet the whole time.

Usually, Creed would just watch television the whole night. We never had a decent conversation. I guessed because we had nothing to talk about. Sure, I was interested about him, but he didn't seem to care at all. And anyway, it seemed like he knows a lot about me.

But there was one particular night when I finally found out something about him. I wasn't so sure if it was in the second week or the seventh night, but nevertheless, I found something out and I wasn't so sure if I did like to find out about it.

"What's with you and books?" he asked me that night.

I froze, letting the flowing water washed the plate I was holding. "Why do you want to know?" I wasn't even expecting him to ask such question.

"Just answer," he said, sharply.

"I just like it," I told him, shrugging.

"You work at a bookstore because you just like it?"

I nodded my head. "And of course, to earn money," I added. I didn't know what hit me to feel so...lax. He was a killer for Dog's sake and here I was discussing to him about my job! That was so...normal. It wasn't the type of discussion I was actually expecting to have with a murderer, especially to a mutant.

"Ha, that's boring," he snorted.

I raised an eyebrow. Why that cocky- "What do you do? Just sit around on anybody's house and watch t.v.?"

He chuckled. "Almost."

I glared at him.

"You want to know what I do?" he asked, suddenly turning around to face me, a dark smile pasted on his face. My glare quickly faded away. I was curious. What does he do for a living?

"I hunt down my preys," he said, as if it was something humorous, but in fact, it wasn't. It was creepy.

He hunt down preys, so did that mean he was an assassin? I shuddered at the thought. It wouldn't be surprising if he would be successful in killing the president someday. He looked the part. A few more days of this and I'm seriously going to kill myself.

Time passed by so quickly. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. It seemed like I was getting used to Victor's attitude around the house. He would be much bearable if he would just silently watch the television and leave me alone to study and to rest. There were times when he would leave after I slept. Of course Victor was still a nuisance, but if I just pretend he wasn't there, it was bearable to be under the same roof as him.

Somehow, I had learned to overcome my fears of him. I wasn't so scared of him anymore, but I didn't want to be too careless around him. I answer whenever he asks me a question, but I never thought of striking up a conversation with him. I didn't even think of it. He was an impulsive guy. If ever I might get personal with my questions, he might throw off a fit. And that wasn't what I was looking forward to.

"Have you been staying up all night?" Mrs. Newton asked me once.

I shook my head. "Not exactly."

"I know that college life is hard, but don't forget that your health always comes first," she told me. She looked at me closely, from head to toe. "You're getting thinner too."

I chuckled. "Studying."

She shook her head, disapprovingly. "Tonight, you need to come and eat dinner with us." I was about to protest but she cut me off. "And I won't take no for an answer."

That night, after we had closed the shop, the Newtons really didn't leave me alone. They dragged me all the way to their house. And I, in horror, tried to pull away from their grasps, but they wouldn't let me go.

"I'm not kidding. I have to go back to my apartment," I told them, trying to pull myself free from Odel's clutches. Even though he was a fourteen year old, he got a very strong grip.

"No way," Odel said, laughing. "For the last three weeks, you hadn't tasted any of grandma's cooking."

Nick chuckled along with his little brother.

Mrs. Newton just smiled. "Now, boys, don't be too harsh with Elijah."

The two boys didn't stop laughing, but Odel finally let go of me.

"Thanks," I muttered. A thought entered my head. Maybe I could make a run for it, but that would be impolite to the Newtons. They only wanted me to eat, but that wasn't the case. Victor was expecting me and who knows what he would do if I wouldn't show up. He would definitely blow the place up and start hunting me down.

We reached their house, a small two story house with white washed walls. It was small and it looked peaceful. We entered the house and Nick took my jacket off and hung it somewhere. "Now, make yourself at home," Mrs. Newton told me as she headed off to the kitchen.

I just smiled and nodded my head. Odel led me to the living which was just right across the dining room. There was a middle aged man sitting on the couch, watching the television when we entered the living room. It was their father, Mrs. Newton's son.

"Oh, Elijah. You're back," Mr. Nathan Newton said, shooting up to his feet. He grinned sheepishly. "I hope you wouldn't mind the mess."

I chuckled. "Of course I wouldn't," I said. "Where's Ollie?" Ollie was Nathan's wife. She was a very beautiful, graceful and kind woman I had ever met. Mr. Nathan was lucky.

Ollie and I had able to form a close relationship with each other. She was like a big sister to me. And she never liked the idea of me calling her Mrs. Newton, or Aunt Ollie. She was one cool and caring mother. Mr. Nathan, on the other hand, was a very hospitable guy, but he was rather uptight and whenever I looked at him, he always looked exhausted from work.

Ollie suddenly appeared from the doorway. A huge warm smile lit her face, making her all the more gorgeous. "Elijah," she said, embracing me. Before I could say anything, she pulled away and looked at me, sternly. "How come it took you so long to return?" she said, accusingly.

I laughed. "Been busy," I said, not giving them a specific answer. Who would want to say to someone that he/she had been feeding a killer in their house?

Ollie raised an eyebrow. "Is it a boy?"

"Of course not," I said, hastily.

"Of course it's a boy," Odel said, laughing as he stood beside me. He was taller than I, even though he was only fourteen years old. It was so unfair.

Ollie looked crossly at her son. "This is a girl to girl talk. Boys aren't allowed to listen." She paused and then went on, "By the way, you should do your homework now."

Odel grumbled before leaving the two of us.

Nick entered the living room and plopped down beside his father. "What you watching?"

"Just a movie," Mr. Newton said.

"Don't mind them, you can tell me everything," Ollie said, veering my attention back to her.

"I'm not lying. I haven't met a guy yet," I said.

Ollie giggled. "Oh really?"

I nodded my head.

"Oh well, it's time for you to get a guy. When was the last time you had dated someone before?"

I shrugged. "Once, when I was seventeen," I said, trying to reminisce the face of the guy who I had dated. But I never had a relationship with him. He just asked me out, and I eventually accepted the invitation since my mother kept nagging me about having a boyfriend.

Ollie shook her head. "Let's go to the kitchen, shall we?" She held me by the arm as she led me to the kitchen.

Mrs. Newton was chopping down some vegetable when we got in the kitchen. Normally, whenever I ate dinner with the Newtons, I always volunteer to help in the kitchen, since it was the politest thing to do. And anyway, it was enjoyable cooking with them.

"What are you cooking, mom?" Ollie asked, peering over Mrs. Newton's shoulders.

"Elijah's favorite," she said.

I flushed. "You don't have to do that," I said, feeling a little embarrassed and touched at the same time. This family treated me as if I was a part of them and here I was, intruding in their perfectly normal life. It was a good feeling, knowing that at least you could count on someone aside from your family.

Mrs. Newton looked at me, beaming. "What're you talking about? Of course we have to. Look at you, you're getting paler and thinner. We should add more meat under that skin of yours."

Ollie laughed and I couldn't help but laugh along with her, but it quickly faded away when I thought I saw a dark shadow outside the window, but I shrugged it off. I was just getting a little too paranoid...

**:**

"Are you sure you'll be alright walking alone?" Mr. Newton asked me as I put my jacket on, preparing myself to head back home.

"Nick can drive you home," Ollie suggested.

I shook my head. "No thanks. I've already disturbed you, so you don't have to worry about me. Thanks for the meal," I said, giving them a reassuring smile. I was used to walking alone at night along the streets. Although, I know that it wasn't advisable for a woman like me to walk back home alone late at night, but my apartment was just a few blocks away from theirs.

Ollie looked concerned. "Are you sure?"

I nodded my head. "Yup," I said, before heading out of the house. The last thing I saw before I closed the door was Ollie's smiling face.

As I got off the Newton's front lawn, I went over to what had happened the whole night. The cheerful atmosphere inside the Newtons' had soothed me and made me feel relaxed. It almost made me forget everything about Victor. _Almost. _

I crossed the streets, passing by cars and people. At first, there were still a lot of people around, so I wasn't nervous, but as I got nearer to my apartment, the streets were becoming deserted. Once I reached the same corner I turn to everyday, my heart started to beat wildly.

"What took you so long?"

I stopped dead on my tracks. I should have known. Happiness wouldn't last too long for me. The voice was what I dreaded the most. It sent shivers down my spine. Slowly, I turned around to see the familiar bulk of Victor Creed. His face was dead serious and I could see that he was mad.

"I ate dinner," I replied, sucking up all my courage.

"And had the time of your life with those people," Victor said, scrunching up his nose as if the Newtons were disgusting.

Even though I was scared and my knees felt weak under my weight, I had been able to muster a glare.

Victor took a step forward, coming nearer and nearer to me. His eyes were locked on mine. I wanted to look away, but that would mean accepting defeat. I wasn't the type to be defeated that easily.

"Did you know that I waited out in the cold?" he whispered. He was so close now. There was only an inch between us. It was nerve wrecking to have him this close to me. The hair on my arms rose.

"I didn't ask you to," I muttered, the courage I had summoned was slowly being drained from me. His heavy gaze made me feel like he was trying to melt me.

That made Victor even more pissed. He grabbed hold of my neck and I could feel his strength with that one grasp. I choked as I felt his hand wrapped around my neck. I coughed, finding it harder to breathe. Even though I wanted to scream, I couldn't. And even if I screamed, no one would hear me.

I held on to Victor's hand as he lifted me off my feet. He bared his teeth at me and at that time, I thought that this was my end. I had known that it would end up like this. "Do it. Kill me. Isn't that what you wanted from the start?" I croaked.

Victor glowered at me, and I swear I heard him growl. "I would be glad to do that but you still got other uses," he said, lowly, letting me go.

I landed on my butt, but I didn't care if it hurt. All I cared was the fact that I could breathed easily now. I shot him a venomous look as he looked down on me. "Stand up," he barked, grabbing hold of my arm and pulling me up. With just one tug, I was back on my feet. My knees still felt weak and my teeth couldn't stop chattering and it's either because of the cold or because of fear.

Catching me off guard, he pinned me on the wall. His face was just inches from mine as he leaned nearer. His sharp claw was threatening to cut my throat. "Do it again and you're going to have it," he said. A horrible thought entered my head. Was he going to scratch me with that? Instead, he let go of me. "Clear?"

I nodded my head.

Victor narrowed his eyes on me. "Good." He stepped away from me, and he looked calmer. He stared at me and I kept reminding myself that I should breathe. Finally, with a snort, he turned around and was about to leave when he suddenly changed his mind. "Oops, before I forget." He quickly grabbed my right arm. "Just a reminder," he sneered. A sharp pain tore through my right arm as Victor's sharp claw ran down from my elbow to my wrist. "So that you won't forget." And with that, he let go of my arm and left, shallowed by the shadows.

I gasped as the searing pain was becoming dull. Blood dripped from my arm, hitting the asphalt. I gritted my teeth, furious. I hate him. I kept repeating that inside my head. Before I started walking, I inspected the cut. The wound wasn't too deep but the lingering pain was still there. Victor Creed, the man I hate with a passion was going to pay for this. Although I'm very sure that he would have a change if he was going to pay.

Why did he have to be so strong? But that wasn't the question which really bothered me the most. Why couldn't he just kill me? What are my uses? I'm just a normal plain looking girl. There was nothing special about me, but Victor kept on saying that I got other uses. What did he mean?

**I hope you like the chapter...^^ by the way, this chapter was inspired by the song i hate everything about you by three days grace...well actually, only the chorus part and a little bit from the song Face down by red jumpsuit apparatus...(I just wanted to share)...^^ anyway, please review.**


	5. Part Five: BETTER OFF ALONE

**Chapter Five is up! ^^ Thank you for all of those who supports my story. Hope you'll enjoy reading this...and since I have nothing to say, I better shut up. I know, My author's note is always short. I'm just a girl with few words...**

Part Five: BETTER OFF ALONE

The next morning, I woke up feeling the numb pain on my arm. I groaned, not wanting to wake up just yet, but the pain was killing me. I looked at my bandaged arm and Victor's face popped out of my head. I'm hating him every moment of the day. Getting up to my feet, I headed towards the mirror and looked at myself. Mrs. Newton was right. I did look paler and thinner. Victor was definitely getting into my nerves, plus, I had to stay up all night studying. It was HARD.

Taking the bandage off to look at my cut, I sucked in my breath when I saw the long scar that ran from my elbow to my wrist. I wonder how other people would react if they saw this - especially the Newtons. I sighed. It wasn't such a huge problem. I got tons of long sleeved shirts.

After getting dressed for school, I took another look at myself on the mirror. A girl with brown soft eyes and light brown hair which curled gently down to her shoulders looked back at me. It was funny how sometimes I couldn't recognize my own reflection. I was never too fond of looking at myself in the mirror. It was just a waste of time since there was nothing special to look at. It was just me. It's not like my face would go away.

I passed by the bookstore and I couldn't believe what I just saw. The bookstore was in a mess. Cops littered the area. Its windows were shattered and the debris were scattered on the sidewalk. The Newtons were all there, anxious. Actually, Ollie and Mr. Newton were there. Nick and Odel must be in school. But what worried me the most was that Mrs. Newton was nowhere to be found. Pushing my way to the curious crowd, I reached the couple.

"What happened?" I asked, concerned.

Mr. Newton was still busy conversing with the police officer which was writing everything down. Ollie, on the other hand, was pale and deep lines creased her forehead. She was in the verge of tears. I felt sad for them. It made me worried. Who could have possibly done this cruel thing? But there was just one guy who I could think who was capable to do this. A man named Victor Creed.

Ollie hugged me as she sobbed. "We don't know."

I patted Ollie's back. "I'm so sorry," I mumbled, not knowing what else to say. I knew how they felt. It was devastating to see the store like this, especially if this store meant everything to you. If I wasn't mistaken, this store was built by Mrs. Newton's husband who passed away three years ago.

Ollie pulled away, wiping the tears on her cheeks. "It's alright. It's not your fault. The police said that it must be some rowdy kids running around in the middle of the night destroying everything they see," she said, obviously trying to get a grip of herself.

"Where's Mrs. Newton?" I asked.

Ollie bit her lower lip, stopping it from quivering. The anxiety was visible in her face. I got a bad feeling about it. "What?" I asked, not taking the suspense any longer. When Ollie didn't answer, but just started sobbing, hysterically, my eyes widened and my heart started pumping faster. "No," I whispered under my breath.

Ollie just pulled me for another embrace. "When she heard about the news, she just couldn't take it," she said, in between tears. "Nick and Odel are with her."

"Where is she?" I inquired, pulling away from her. I needed to see Mrs. Newton to be sure that no fatal harm was done to her. It was all my fault after all and I wouldn't be able to carry on in my life if ever something VERY bad would happen to Mrs. Newton.

"In the hospital."

There were a lot of hospitals in the city. "Specifically, where?"

"Two blocks away from here."

I nodded my head, getting the message. The nearest hospital in here was Mother of Sorrows. It was a weird name for a hospital. It sounded depressing and it made me more worried. What if something really bad happened to Mrs. Newton?

Without any more words, I ran off heading to the hospital. My stomach churned in every step I took. This was all my fault. If I just said no to their invitation, this wouldn't have happened. Of course, I didn't have to contemplate who was the mastermind behind the cruel scheme, since I already knew who it was. I wouldn't be surprised if he would do it. I could see it in his eyes. He was definitely the type to do heartless things since he didn't even have a heart. Why did I have to meet him?

Rushing through the glass double doors in the hospital, I quickly went towards the admittance section and asked where a certain Mrs. Newton was.

"Are her granddaughter?" the receptionist asked, looking at her through her horn rimmed glassed.

"No," I said.

"Then I'm sorry to say, you cannot come in," she stated, with a hint of finality in her voice. Nothing could change her mind even if I did beg. With what she had said, a realization hit me. What was I to the Newtons? I wasn't a family. Was I a friend then?

"Then, please tell me what her condition is," I pleaded.

The nurse sighed, but I think I sounded pitiful enough. "She needs rest but she's going to be fine. Come back later, maybe she would be allowed to admit visitors," she told me, patting my hand.

I thanked her before leaving, feeling weak. This was bad. The blame was definitely on me. It was obvious. I brought the misfortune to the Newtons. It was all my fault. If only I just turned their hospitality down then this would never have happened.

Those thoughts nagged me the whole day I was in class. The words my professors said just kept passing right through my head but nothing sank in. I was worried and I could think straight. My thoughts kept coming back to Mrs. Newton. Was she alright? Would she be fine?

But as my anxiety rose, my abhorrence for Victor grew as well. This was definitely all his fault. Maybe it was time to give him a piece of my mind. Tonight, I wouldn't listen to him or even bother making dinner for him too. I didn't care if he would kill me. It was time for me to stand up for myself. Just like the saying "There will be no oppressor if there's no one to oppress." I wouldn't let myself be the oppressed and him be my oppressor.

As soon as my classes were finished, I went directly to the hospital. The same receptionist was there and it seemed like she still remembered me.

"She's on room 202 on the second floor," she informed me without waiting for my question. I gave her a baffled look. Normally, nurses would forget the people's faces since they wouldn't be paying too much attention to what they looked like.

Using the stairs, I went up. I never really liked using the elevator. I once had an experience with it and I didn't even want to remember that certain event. Though, thankfully, I really couldn't recall it too much since I was just a little kid when that happened.

I passed by some people along the corridor as I made my way to room 202. I saw many feeble looking people on wheelchairs being pushed by the nurses. One thing I didn't like about hospitals was the fact that the scenes weren't pleasant. They made me sad. People looked hopeless, sickly and helpless.

There was an arrow directing me where rooms 201-205 were. I turned to my right, almost bumping on someone.

"Elijah!"

I abruptly stopped and whipped around. "Nick!" I almost shouted. I ran back to him. "How's your grandmother?"

Nick sighed. "Fine, I guess," he said, sounding tired from being anxious. "She's asleep in her room. Room 202."

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"To get lunch," he replied. "Want to come?"

I shook my head. "No thanks. I'm just going to visit Mrs. Newton."

He shrugged and went ahead.

"By the way, I'm so sorry," I said to him, raising my voice for him to hear. He didn't seem to hear it since he just continued walking without looking back at me. I sighed. It must have been tiring for them to worry all day about Mrs. Newton. Reaching room 202, I took in a deep breath before knocking on the door. I wasn't so sure if I was afraid of seeing Mrs. Newton looking feeble, or I felt ashamed for bringing this upon the Newtons. Nevertheless, my heart kept beating faster.

Odel opened the door and he looked rather surprised to see me. My stomach churned when I saw the surprise in his face. The question inside my head still remained. What was I to the Newtons? Was I just a girl who worked in their store?

"Elijah, you're here," Odel said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. He opened the door wider for me to come in. "Grandma's asleep. Mom and dad are away taking care of the store," he informed. "Drinks?"

"No thanks," I told him. The room was cramped. There was a kitchen and dinning area and when you turn to your left, you would see two hospital beds. Mrs. Newton lied on the left hospital bed, looking frail and tired. She really did look sick. "How is she?"

"Better," Odel answered, going to the refrigerator and getting a can of soda. "Want?"

I shook my head. He asked that already. I went to Mrs. Newton's side and studied her wrinkled face. "What happened to her?"

"Had a heart attack, but it isn't too bad," he said, handing me a can of soda even though I specifically said no. Nevertheless, I accepted it. The Newtons were known for the hospitality. There were so hospitable, in the extent of even letting a complete stranger live in their house as long as he/she likes.

"I'm so sorry," I mumbled.

"It's not your fault," Odel told me, smiling.

There was a tugging sensation on my stomach. I wanted to tell him that it was all my fault. It was I who brought this upon them. But something was pulling me back from telling this to them. I was afraid that if they knew, they would hate me; ignore me.

I didn't say anything.

"You want to sit down?" Odel asked, pulling up a chair from the dinning area.

I thanked him and sat down. Now that I was in here, I didn't know what to say. Talk to Odel?

"So," I started, unsure of what I would say.

"Mom said that we'll just close the store down," Odel whispered so suddenly that his words barely hit me.

"What?" I said, not able to hide the surprise in my voice as well as my face.

He shrugged. "I hope we wouldn't."

I felt even more depressed and guilty. First of all, I would have to look for another job. Second, the store was their life. Third, this was all my fault.

"Dad has been offered a promotion somewhere away from here," Odel continued, looking down at his feet. "And he was thinking of taking it."

"So you're moving?"

He shrugged. "At first, we didn't want to leave because of the store, but now that it had been thrashed, my dad decided to take the promotion."

I felt downcast. The horrible realization that the Newtons would go away hit me, hard.

"But Nick said that he would stay to finish his college first."

I perked up. "He'll stay?"

Odel nodded his head. "But our parents still don't know about it."

"Oh."

Now that I think of it. Nick had been studying very hard. He took up Law and it was obvious that he was struggling to get a good grade to pass. Nick really wanted to become a lawyer, a complete contrast of what I wanted. I never liked lawyers. All they do is make the argument a lot more complicated. But I appreciate their efforts of trying to give justice to the people. It just that, I never liked laws or anything that would involve to politics. And I still don't understand why.

"He's determined to find out who did all this," Odel murmured, not exactly directed to me. It was as if he was talking to himself.

I fell silent. I hoped Nick wouldn't find out who did this because he would definitely not like it.

**:**

I reached my apartment, feeling beat. Who knew that all this worrying and feeling guilty could make me so tired. When I turned the knob on my door, I was expecting to see Victor messing up my apartment, but instead, the whole room was dark and there was no one. I was baffled. "Hello?" I asked, loudly. I went to my room and checked if Victor was in there. But it was empty. The whole place was silent and no signs of Victor could be found.

Could it be...

"Victor?"

Silence answered. There was no one inside my room and I felt stupid looking for someone I wouldn't even want to see. Was it possible that Victor got tired of my cookings? But then, why wouldn't he just kill me? Why now? Putting down my things on the couch, I headed to the kitchen. Oh well, if he wasn't in here then that meant I could do whatever I want. I prepared a light dinner for myself, thinking of what could have possibly change his mind.

As I waited for the usual _ting _of the microwave. I wasn't really in the mood to cook, so I just heated some of the leftovers. Getting myself some drink, I sat down on my couch and dug in to my dinner. I lived alone so who cared where I eat my dinner?

I turned on the television and watched idly at some lame t.v. shows. I wasn't a fan of watching televisions. The only thing I watch are movies and maybe some cartoon shows which I find highly entertaining. I couldn't understand why, but somehow I felt lonely. It was funny how whenever I see Victor inside my own apartment, I get furious. But now that he wasn't in here, it felt so quiet and isolated. I was back to being alone and I was happy about it, but something was still bothering me.

**:**

The next morning, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I felt grumpy and I didn't know why. I wasn't in the mood and my body seemed to ache. It was Saturday so that meant we didn't have classes. I thanked God for that. I just wanted to sleep all day. Staring at the ceiling as I lied down on my back, I wondered if Victor really didn't come. I slept early last night so I didn't have the chance to check if Victor came. But who was I kidding? If ever he did come, he would have woke me up.

I wonder why he didn't come last night. But as soon as those thoughts entered my head, it quickly faded. I looked at my scarred arm. Gritting my teeth, I cursed him mentally. It was better this way. My life would be fine if he wouldn't get involve. The Newtons would be leaving soon because of him. I would lose my job because of him. And everything was all his fault.

I'm better off alone.

**Well? What do you think? Sorry if it sucks, I was rather in a hurry when I typed this one down. Anyway, please review...^^**

**P.S: I wonder how others could make their author's note so loooooooooooooong...O_O**


	6. Part Six: CRACK

**Hey, I'm back! ^^ And now that I thought of it, I haven't put a disclaimer...uh what do you call that? Dx Aw darn. I forgot the term but anyway, I would still put that. ^^ Anyway, please enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own sabretooth, but maybe after a few more centuries and a few more kidnappings, then I would get him.^o^ BUT! I do own Elijah and the Newtons. (and if possible, I would own Liev Schreiber too! wahahaha ^o^, but on the other hand, Liev have Naomi, so...I suppose he could be my uncle instead!) ^^**

Part Six: CRACK

The next few weeks, Victor didn't come back. I was free. The nights seemed to grow shorter. It was quiet and peaceful. Going home was something I look forward to now. It was like being free from an unbearable nightmare. I eat whenever, wherever and however I want . I got to maintain the cleanliness in my apartment.

My life was starting to fix itself up. I got a new job which wasn't exactly what I really wanted, but hey, at least I get paid for what I do. I took a job in a cafe not far from school. I take orders and I sometimes clean up the tables after the customers leave. The pay was okay and the manager was nice. The downside was that I go home late.

Everything was getting better except for the fact that the Newtons really did leave for Philadelphia, but Nick stayed. He moved in to a dorm near our school. Ever since the incident in the hospital, I never got to have another decent conversation with him. I seldom saw him and if ever I did, he wouldn't notice. He was always absorbed in his studies.

"See you around," Nick muttered darkly as we watched the other Newtons got inside the car, heading for Philadelphia. The Newtons bid their farewell to the two of us. Ollie couldn't stop but cry as she embraced me, as well as Mrs. Newton, who kept remind me to eat proper meals. Mr. Newton just gave my a warm, but firm handshake, while Odel gave me a sad lopsided grin. It felt sad watching them go, but I made sure that I wouldn't cry.

I didn't cry because I always wanted to make sure that the last picture of me inside a person's head was me, smiling and not crying. It was just a simple and yet stupid goal, but it was better that way.

It had been a month now after Victor's mysterious disappearance. Two months since I first saw him in a deserted corner in the middle of the night. I was enjoying my freedom as long as it could last. I could concentrate better during class hours. My mind wasn't on a race anymore. I could sleep well at night and wake up the next morning feeling refreshed.

But whenever I passed by the old bookstore, it always made me shudder. The usual warm atmosphere it gave off was gone - engulfed by the abandoned feeling it gave off. The windows were covered with planks of wood, as well as the door. The shelves were taken off and the books. I missed those days where I would sit on the bench inside the store and looked out the window, watching people passed by.

There were times when I would see Nick staring at the store, as if he was trying to identify who did it. Those were the perfect opportunity to talk to him, but I never had the courage to call out his name. Something was stopping me, so I would just pretend that I didn't see him.

I still hate Victor for doing all of this, but somehow, I always found myself thinking about him at night before I sleep. I would always wonder where he was or what he was doing. He did say something about his job. He hunted down his _preys_. I wonder what he meant by that.

"Another mysterious disappearance occurred in..."

I switched to another channel, bored. For the past weeks, reports about missing people were everywhere in the television. It was funny how I kept thinking that this might be Victor's doing. Must be.

Veering my attention back to the piece of paper in front of me, I focusing on what I would write. Snow kept on pouring outside. It was cold and a woolen blanket was draped over me as I read. The book I was reading wasn't exactly for school. Just a normal sci-fi book.

It was about twelve midnight and there were still news on the television. Unbelievable. When will these people ever sleep? Despite the blaring noises from the television, it was quiet. That was normal since I was alone. But not for long.

I stopped reading when my ear started picking up a loud thump coming from my room. My back tensed and I looked up from my work. What was that? I didn't do anything. I just waited for another sound but there was nothing.

That was strange.

Standing up with the blanket still draped over my shoulders, I headed towards my room. Opening the door really slowly, I peered in. Everything was still inside the room, except for the fact that my window was open. That was weird. I never open my window since I never had time to close it. Shrugging, I walked toward it and shut it. Abruptly, my spine tingled.I didn't know why but I suddenly felt scared.

"Boo..."

I yelped, whipping around so quickly that I almost hit the wall. The room was still dark, but the light coming from outside the window made it possible for me to see the outlines inside the room. There was a huge figure blocking the door. And it made me even more frightened.

"Miss me?"

"Victor?" I squeaked, squinting my eyes a little, letting my eyes adjust to the dark. The voice was unmistakably Victor's. I didn't know why but I suddenly felt relaxed instead of the usual stiffness I would get whenever I hear his voice. Maybe because it had been a long time before I heard his voice again. Or maybe because I wasn't too afraid to face him anymore.

A chuckle answered me. Instantly, the lights were turned on, making it easier for me to see his face. It was really Victor. He still looked the same, except for the part that he looked more ragged and dirtier. Where on earth had he been? A grin formed on his face as he saw the expression on my face. "What?" His smooth voice floated inside the room.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I blurted out, not able to contain myself. Somehow, the fear was gone and my revulsion came back to me. "Who told you that you can come back?" I ranted, giving him the meanest glare that I could muster.

"What's with the face?" he taunted.

The scowl deepened. How dare he mock me...

"And I thought you would change just a little," Victor mused, before getting out of the room.

"Where are you going?" I demanded, following him. Obviously, he was going to the kitchen. He always did.

Victor pretended that he didn't even hear me.

"Hey!" I shouted at him.

Victor reached the refrigerator and took out a can of soda. "It disappoints me whenever I see your refrigerator stuffed with food, but no beer," he said, rolling his eyes. He plopped down on the couch and put his feet on top of the coffee table.

I groaned. As I thought of it. Freedom wouldn't last. Happiness was too good to be true. A girl like me was cursed. Standing in front of him, trying to calm my wildly beating heart, I convinced myself that this was the time where I should stand up for myself. No one would anyway. I hate him, remember?

"Who told you that you can just bust inside my house?" I asked, trying hard keeping my voice straight.

"Excuse me," Victor said, sounding bored.

"Get out," I said, firmly. Every second made my knees buckle.

Victor chuckled, sarcastically. "Cute, but I'm not scared."

I glowered at him. "I'm serious."

When Victor was about to take a sip from his drink, I snatched it from him, spilling the content on him on the process. A smug grin slowly tugged the corners of my lips. His front shirt was now soaked and he got a pissed expression on his face. _Oh snap._

Victor just stared at me. I wasn't so sure if he was angry or not. He just...stared.

"S-sorry," I mumbled, quickly putting down the can and getting a hand towel from the kitchen. The smile faded away as the usual fear crept back to me. When I got back, I started dabbing the towel on his shirt. Why was I so STUPID? My hands trembled as I held the cloth. Maybe it wasn't a good idea trying to be brave.

I kept muttering sorry to him as I tried to clean the stain on his shirt, but I knew that it was futile. It was impossible. The stain had dried off already. Abruptly, his hand gripped my shaking ones. "You're annoying me," he said, blankly.

"I said I'm sorry," I snapped at him.

And that was me sounding like a complete idiot. Was it the shock of seeing him again that made me act like this, or the fact that I hate him too much? I stared at his hand. It was so huge compared to mine. He caught me staring, but he didn't say anything.

"Stop shaking, will you?" he said, irritably, pushing my hand away from him.

I stood up straight, biting my tongue to prevent me from screaming at him. He was so...playful a while ago, now he was so...grumpy. Who the hell did he think he was? He didn't even have the right to order me around. Here I was trying to help him, but what did he do? He even had the gut to shout at me for my stupidity. I was trembling because I was scared. Was there a problem in that?

"Well?" he said, impatiently.

Rolling my eyes, I got another glass of water for him. Why did he have to come back? Of course I knew that freedom wouldn't last too long, but why too soon? What's with the sudden appearance? He could have send me a sign first before he appeared.

"Another one," he said, handing me the glass.

I forced myself not to say anything. When I gave him the glass again, my huge mouth started babbling away. "Where have you been?"

He looked at me, incredulously. He wasn't expecting me to say anything. "Why do you want to know?"

I remained silent.

He chuckled. "To hell," he said. Even though the tone of his voice was light, his eyes held no humor at all. He was serious.

I didn't know if I should laugh or not. I didn't it find it funny, but he did. He was laughing...but still, his eyes were still the same cold ones I had seen.

The whole night, I left him alone on the couch. I, on the other hand, locked myself inside my room. I could hear the loud noise coming from where Victor was, but it was muffled by the closed door. Even though I was studying, I tried hard not to think about his sudden visit. And the same question that had bugged her before returned. Why her? Obviously, Victor could get food whenever, wherever and however he wanted. Then why did he have to use her? She was certain that it wasn't because she could feed him. It was more than that.

It was almost 2 am and the t.v. was still turned on. I couldn't sleep even though I wanted to. What was up with Victor? Normally, he would leave at two, but why was the t.v. still droning on and on. Getting off my bed, I headed out of my bedroom. I wanted to check on Victor.

The t.v. was still on, but aside from that, the room was utterly still. Victor was nowhere to be seen. He must be lounging on the couch. I crept towards it to check on Victor. I was right. He was lying on his side, with the pillow propped behind his head. I wasn't so sure if he was sleeping so I moved in closer.

He was sleeping alright. His eyes were closed; his breathing was steady and rhythmic. He almost looked peaceful and...human. This was the first time I had seen him like this. I hadn't even dreamed of seeing him like this. I watched him in his sleep, amused. So the bad guys do have a soft side, I thought.

Not making a sound, I walked back to my room feeling a little...frivolous. What I had just witnessed was something I wouldn't forget. Well, I think I wouldn't forget. Slipping back on my bed, I laid my head on my pillow. Maybe tomorrow morning, he wouldn't be there anymore...just like always.

**:**

I woke up the next day, expecting to be alone. Instead, as soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Victor's face. I blinked, as if nothing was processing inside my head. Must be a dream, I thought, rolling over to my side, but I was startled when I bumped into something.

"Good morning."

I froze. Did I just hear something?

"Didn't know that you talk while you sleep," someone sneered.

My eyes fluttered open as I realized whose voice it was. Victor. Lying on my back, I stared at Victor who was on top of me. His hands flat on my pillow, beside my face. Even though he was so near to me, he was cautious enough not to touch me.

"What the hell are you doing?" I shouted, trying to sit up, but couldn't because he wouldn't budge.

"Comfortable?"

"No!"

He chuckled. "Fiery," he mused. He brought his face nearer mine. "And what could possibly make you feel so...intimidated?"

I glared at him. "You!" I tried pushing him off me, but he was too heavy. This was making more and more frustrated. I wished he would just go away.

"If I'm not mistaken, you said my name while you're sleeping," he said.

"I did not!" I snapped, defensively.

"And by the way, I knew you had sneak up on me while I was sleeping last night," he informed.

I fell silent. That was true. I didn't have to lie or feel embarrassed by it. There was nothing wrong in seeing him sleep. It was his fault for being so..._careless._

Victor's smile just widened. "I see your right arm is still not healed," he said, changing the subject. He traced the length of the scar with his claw. I winced at the sudden contact. I knew how that felt like and I didn't want to feel that again. It was horrible.

"You're not breathing," he said.

He was right. I had subconsciously held my breath.

"I'm not going to eat you."

"Yeah right," I muttered. "Just get off of me..._please_."

"And why would I?"

"Because I said please," I told him, sarcastically.

Finally, he got off, making it easier for me to breathe. "What was that for?" I asked, irritably sitting up on my bed.

"I had witnessed a lot of people crack when I stay around too long," he said, grinning mischievously. "But I'm glad to know that you haven't."

I rolled my eyes, but didn't say anything.

"But I wonder how long will it take for you to finally crack," he said, slyly. "Must be years, don't you think?"

I glared at him. If he wanted me to crack, then just kill me!

"All the more fun." He rubbed his hands together, reminding me of a disney villain. I shuddered, slightly.

Turning his back on me, he opened the windows with just one hand. "See you around." And he jumped off.

I wished he would break his neck with the fall but I knew that was impossible. There was no possible way to kill that man off.

**Well, what do you think? Sorry if it was...terrible? O_o anyway, please review. **

**By the way, who knows where the x-mansion is located? Is it in New York? O_O And I forgot to say thanks to all those who reviewed a while ago, soooo...THANK YOU for the support! ^^**


	7. Part Seven: SICK OF YOU

**Hello! I'm back! ^^ thank to everyone who put this story in their alerts/favorites and those who reviewed! And as always, I got nothing to say...=_= anyway, please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Victor Creed or any marvel characters (though I would definitely want to own them...^o^) **

Part Seven: SICK OF YOU

Just when I thought that life couldn't get any better, it worsened. Every night, Victor returned just to torture me some more. It was horrible. It was horrible. He was worse than before. His orders were frequent and he kept on giving me those..._glances. _Every time I turn around, I could feel his eyes on me. It was scary. I always tried to avoid his gaze. His eyes just made me wonder what he was thinking, but at the same time. I didn't want to find out.

"Tell me, who's Nick Newton for you?" Victor suddenly asked one night while I was washing the dishes (as usual).

My back stiffened. That wasn't the question I felt comfortable answering, especially since it came from him. "He's a friend," I replied.

He smirked. "Yeah right."

I rolled my eyes but didn't snap back at him. It was an unwise decision and I just discovered that last night while I attempted to give him a piece of my mind. With that question hanging in the air, my abhorrence for him came back. For the passed month, I had almost forgotten what he had done. Was it one of his _tricks _to make me crack?

"He's something more than that," Victor stated, flatly, although the grin in his face was visible. Why did he even want to know? It's not like it concerned him.

"What do you know?" I asked angrily, shoving the plate back to the cabinet along with the other plates. It made a loud clattering sound as the plate hit the other plates.

"Because I know," he answered, coolly. It irked me how calm he sounded. It was a rhetorical question and he didn't even have to answer that.

"Oh great, you know! There's nothing you don't know. You act like a- god. For Christ's sake. Did you even know what caused the Newtons to leave? Did you know what caused me to hate going home every night? It's you! God! I'm so sick of this," I ranted, not noticing that I was losing my temper. For days, I tried to keep my mouth shut but now I had done it.

Before I could even realize what I was saying, Victor just chuckled. "Got you," he said. His eyes landed on me. "I'm disappointed, really, since I thought that it would take some more time before you finally blow off." He shook his head.

"So what?" I almost shouted. I was afraid and I couldn't explain why. "What will you do now that I finally cracked?"

He shrugged. "Tell me."

I gulped in some air. realizing that I hadn't been holding my breath since a while ago. At that moment, I was surprised how...furious I was. Instead of being so frightened, I was so...mad at him. How many days had I endured him being under the same roof as I was? And yet, even though I knew that he could kill me in just a blink of an eye, he hadn't yet. It was as if he didn't have any intention of killing me off in the first place. What did he want?

"Kill me," I said softly, almost muttering it to myself. I was unsure of what made me say that. Was I that stupid to let him kill me? Holding his eyes, I repeated what I said. This time, stronger, louder and clearer. "Kill me."

The two of us became silent. Victor suddenly turned serious, almost baffled. I couldn't blame him. No one would want to be murdered, right? Unless you're planning on a suicide, but I wasn't that desperate. I just wanted to test if he really would kill me. After all, he didn't seem to have any remorse of killing that poor guy two months ago.

My hands felt sweaty and my heart kept on beating so fast. My head felt fuzzy and I couldn't think straight. I didn't know what I was feeling. Angry? Confused? Disappointed? Scared? But I was sure that I wasn't happy. I hadn't realized it up until now that I was panting.

Victor stood up from the couch and walked towards me. His eyes made it harder for me to breathe. It was cold, empty and dark. This was it. I requested for my death a while ago and now I was going to get it. That was how idiotic I was. When he was getting nearer, I took a step back, but my back hit the wall. I could feel my knees buckle.

"You want me to kill you?" he said. His voice so low that I almost didn't hear it. He was so close now. My back was flat on the wall and yet he was still getting closer and closer. His face inches from mine. His breath washed over my face and I blinked twice.

"I-I..." I couldn't find the words to say. If I said no, then I was lying because I did give him the idea to kill me in the first place.

His face was still grave. "You?" My heart was beating so loud that it was deafening for me. I wondered if he could hear it. Slowly, his hand touched my right cheek. I recoiled slightly. What was he thinking? "Scared?" he taunted, although he held no humor.

I avoided his eyes.

"Don't worry, you won't feel a thing," he said. His voice made me shudder. It was so...low and smooth; almost tantalizing.

Involuntarily, I closed my eyes as I felt him move closer and closer. What the heck was he doing? I was waiting for the searing pain somewhere in my face or along the vital parts of my body. I was hoping that death would just take over soon. I wouldn't want to feel the pain. I just wanted it to be over.

Slowly, I felt something tingling near my neck. It was warm and it smelled faintly of...food. "W-what are you doing?" I stammered, not daring to open my eyes for I was afraid of what I would see.

I didn't get a reply. Something cold and moist was pressed on my neck and made its way to my lower jaw. To my horror, I realized what he was doing. My eyes fluttered open and instinctively pushed him away with all of my strength. Fortunately, he stepped back. He got a sly grin on his face.

"You don't like it?" he taunted, taking another step forward.

"Stop it!" I yelled at him, almost pleadingly. This was what I was afraid of.

The smile just widened. "If you say so." And just like that, he went back to the couch and sat down.

I watched him, confused, but at the same time relieved. My heart wasn't calming down. My head throbbed. Rubbing my neck, the spot where his lips touched, I wondered why he did that. There was something in his eyes. His actions were just too...peculiar.

Victor switched the channel in the television, as if nothing had happened. I, on the other hand, was still dumbstruck. I stood there, with my mind floating off to another world. Nothing seemed to sink inside my brain.

Why did he stop? Of course, I was thankful that he did stop, but still...why? Was Victor really the type of guy who would do everything he wanted? Was he really the greedy type? Or was he just one of the few million people who were misjudged?

After a few more minutes of gaping at nothing, I finally recovered from the shock. Straightening up, I headed off to my room, slamming the door behind me. I was certain that Victor heard it, but he didn't look back. It wasn't that I was expecting him to.

Once I was inside my room away from Victor's earshot, I covered my mouth with a pillow and screamed. The pillow muffled the sound. I wouldn't want him to hear my screaming. It wouldn't be a good idea. Who knows what thoughts would enter his thick skull.

I squeezed my eyes shut, as if convincing myself that it was all a dream. The cold still lingered on my neck as well as my lower jaw. I felt disgusted, knowing that he actually...I shook my head, trying to clear my head. If I keep on thinking about it, the more I would be troubled and intimidated.

I tried to calm down by counting. When I reached ten, Victor's voice echoed inside my head. "Who's Nick Newton to you?"

I never really thought of it. Nick Newton was just...Nick Newton to me. There was no inkling feelings whenever I see him. I just see him...period. No more chains attached to it.

I threw myself on my bed and stared at the ceiling. I wondered if I could fall asleep just lying like this, without even bothering to change or even pull the covers over me. Maybe...

**:**

I woke up the next morning, feeling cranky. It was cold and I was shivering. I rolled to my side, and a head shattering headache hit me. I gritted my teeth, ignoring the throbbing. It was still cold even though my blanket was pulled over to my nose.

Wait...

How did that get there? I was sure that I hadn't slipped under the covers before I had fallen asleep. Who did this? Victor's face popped out of my head. Maybe...but I wasn't so sure. Victor wasn't the type to do such simple thing. It was like a sin to him. But the headache was making it impossible for me to even think about it.

It was a normal Friday morning, but I wasn't feeling well. I didn't want to get out of my bed, or even think about going to school. I just wanted to sleep all day or just lie down on my bed the whole day. But the headache was keeping me awake. I tossed and turned but to no avail, I hardly could blink.

I ran my hand over my forehead, checking my temperature. I was sweating profusely and my head was throbbing at the same time. My skin was hot and at the same time, I wasn't feeling well. So that meant only one thing...I was sick. Must be a flu or something.

Or maybe, I was just too sick of Victor.

**Well? How is it? Hope you liked it! ^^ Please review...**

**P.S.: Thank you for those who told me where the X-mansion is located! ^^  
P.P.S: Sorry for the minor mistakes or the "awkwardness" in my grammar...  
P.P.P.S: Sorry for the shortness too **


	8. Part Eight: ALL AROUND ME

**Howdy! ^^ Thanks for those who reviewed and for those who put this story in their favorites/alerts! Today, I was inspired by the song of flyleaf entitled all around me! ^^ And when I learned that they had a tour together with three days grace, the more I fell in love with the song! Anyway, please enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: Yeah, i don't own sabretooth or any marvel characters...darn...Dx**

Part Eight: ALL AROUND ME

The whole day I could hardly move an inch from my bed. Whenever I closed my eyes, unpleasant visions kept entering inside my head. Victor's face would pop out of nowhere and I would even hallucinate hearing his voice. I know that was stupid, but it wasn't me who was doing it. It was my brain!

I didn't eat breakfast even though I really needed to. My mother once told me that a sick person should eat as much as he/she could, but I wasn't feeling too well to cook my own food. As I hugged my pillow tightly with my eyes closed and my head throbbing, my stomach growled. But my body felt too heavy for me to carry so I ignored it, deciding to sleep it off.

But there was another problem. Whenever I fall asleep, I would only wake up a few minutes later. I would toss and turn as if I couldn't find a good spot on my own bed. It was making me frustrated and it wasn't helping me at all.

With all those tossing and turning, I hadn't realized how quickly time flew by and I wasn't feeling any better. In fact, my condition worsened. As soon as the sun had started setting, I could feel my teeth chattering because of the cold. Damn it. Why did it have to snow?

I was sweating profusely, and yet it was so cold. What the heck was wrong with me?

"I'm shocked seeing you like this," someone said, startling me.

I groaned subconsciously. Why did he have to come? It was his fault why I got sick. He brought the disease upon me. It was as if he was a plague. Nothing good had happened ever since I met him.

I felt a warm hand on my forehead and for a moment I yearned for that touch. It was so..._warm_. Of course I couldn't believe what I was thinking but because my head was getting fuzzier and fuzzier by the second I didn't know what I was thinking; plus the hunger wasn't helping me.

"You're sick," he stated, dryly almost disappointingly. "Unfortunately, I don't know how to handle sick people."

Good. Just go away, I thought.

"Is there any food in here?" he asked.

I didn't want to answer but if it would make him go away and leave me alone, I would gladly tell him. "In the fridge there are some microwavable food," I mumbled, forcing the words to go out of my mouth. My throat felt dry and it hurt.

I couldn't see what was the expression on Victor's face but I didn't care. I just wanted to sleep. Victor left the room and I felt much better now that he was gone. I hoped he would just watch the stupid t.v. and leave me to suffer. He need not to add in my torture already.

With that brief time of being alone, I took the oppurtunity to think about my family back at home. I was actually a small town girl. I was an only child so my life wasn't so exciting. My mom was the type of woman who's strong, confident and hard-working. She did all the work around the house. My father was also a industrious man, but I hardly talk to him because he was way too busy. But he made the lost time up with his stories.

My mother always had something wise to tell me. She was fond of giving me lectures on boys and more specifically...love. Maybe that was the reason why I grew up being cynical to love. If it was only going to give you pain, then why look for it? If love's a sacrifice, why burden yourself? If love's blind, then why search for it?

Amidst my thoughts, I almost jumped when I felt something cold and damp placed on top of my forehead. My eyes fluttered open seeing Victor sitting on top of my bed beside me. "What are you doing?" I croaked, surprised with the sound of my voice.

"Can you sit up?" he asked, ignoring my first question.

My shoulders felt too stiff to even try shrugging but I tried hard to pull myself up. I leaned on the headboard of my bed.

"Here," he said, handing me a glass of water.

At first, I gaped at him. Was this real or was I just hallucinating. "What have you done with Victor?" I asked, suspiciously.

He laughed. "Fine. If you don't want water then I'll just throw it somewhere," he said.

I gave him one last look before taking the glass of water from his hand. "Thanks," I said before drinking down the content in one gulp. The water tasted great, but I needed more.

"More please," I said, handing the glass back to him.

He raised an eyebrow. At first, I thought that he was going to chuckle and say something like, "Are you ordering me around?" or something like, "Me? Get you some more drink? No way." But his response was the exact opposite of what I thought it would be. He snatched the glass from my hands and headed back to the kitchen.

When he came back, he had another glass of water in his hands. Was I lucky or what?

"Thanks," I said, taking the glass and gulping the content down.

He muttered a low "you're welcome," and sat down on the bed again. "It isn't good to live alone especially if you're in that condition."

"You're saying?"

He smirked. "Lie down," he suddenly barked.

I blinked twice before doing what he said. It wasn't because I was afraid of him or something, but because I was finding it hard to sit up any longer. My head felt heavier than my own body.

"Stay there," he said, heading towards the closed window.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I'm going to buy you some medicine. What do you think I'm doing?" he said, irritatedly.

That was...unexpected. He didn't wait for me to say anything before he opened the window and jumped out. The cold air filled the room, making me shudder. That bastard. Was he trying to freeze me to death?

Dragging my body off my bed, I trudged towards the window and closed it. Finally, the room started warming up again. I let out a sigh of relief before lying down on my bed again. I was thankful for the softness of my bed. Closing my eyes, my mind started wondering what caused Victor to act like that. Was he really just one those misjudged people?

Impossible. I saw it in his own eyes. He knew what he was doing. He wanted what he was doing. And the last thought that entered my head was what Victor had said a while ago.

"Unfortunately, I don't know how to handle sick people..."

He's a liar.

I didn't know how long I had fallen asleep, but when I woke up I felt much better. I opened my eyes expecting it to be dimly lighted, but instead it was really dark. There was no light at all except for the lights outside.

I looked around, letting my eyes adjust on the darkness. Was Victor here? Did he return?

But I was too drowsy to even think about it.

"You're awake," someone suddenly said from the corner of the room.

My back stiffened. "Victor?" I asked.

A chuckle erupted from the corner of the room. "Who else?" He stepped out from the darkness and revealed himself to me. He got a grin on his face. "You were sleeping when I came back so I thought that I'd let you get your rest before you drink your medicine."

Another unexpected sentence from Victor. Was this really the Victor who tried to torture me every single night?

He threw me a brown small paper bag. "Here. Drink that."

The darkness was making it harder for me to get a good grasp on the paper bag. "T-thanks." Even though I wanted to see what was inside the paper bag I couldn't because of the lack of light. Victor sat down on the foot of my bed. "If you're looking for a glass of water, it's on your bedside table."

I turned to my right and saw the glass of water. I didn't know why, but I was somehow moved by his actions. Was he really doing this all for me? Why? I reached for the pill in the brown paper bag Victor had thrown to me and got the glass of water. I gulped down the pill along with the water.

When I put the paper bag and the glass aside, I looked at Victor. "Thank you," I said again. I wondered what would have happened if this had happened differently. What if Victor didn't come tonight? Maybe I would still be suffering from my fever.

He chuckled. "Don't say thanks just yet. You owe me for taking care of you," he said, a smirk creeping on his face.

I didn't say anything. Typical Victor. I lied down again, ignoring the fact that Victor was sitting on the foot of my bed. Sitting up for too long made me feel clammy. It was as if I would exert too much effort to just keep me siting upright on my bed. But I was feeling much better now than a while ago. At least my vision wouldn't get fuzzy when I moved too much.

"There's still food in the fridge," I suddenly said. I didn't know what hit me to say that, but as soon as those words slipped out of my mouth I wasn't so sure anymore if I even said that. It felt like I was only dreaming. My grasp on consciousness was slipping.

**:**

It was so cold. Despite of the fact that my eyes were closed, I could feel the darkness surrounding me. I felt like it was suffocating me and its coldness. My teeth began chattering and no matter what I did to find warmth, I couldn't. It was funny how I was sleeping and yet I didn't feel like it. It was like I was running a race.

But amidst the futile attempt to warm myself, I suddenly heard a gentle soft rhythmic thumping. What was it? It wasn't the pounding I usually hear whenever somebody knocks on my door. No. It was different. It sounded almost like a heart beat. The sound was so soft and low and the beat was steady that it was lulling me back to sleep.

_Thump...Thump...Thump..._

While I was listening to the slow beat, I began realizing that warmth was spreading all over my body. Finally. I snuggled closer to the sound, feeling more secured and comfortable. It was just so cold that I didn't care what was it that was making me warm. It was just so...tempting.

The next thing I knew...I went back to sleep.

As I woke up the next morning, I rolled to my side and slowly opened my eyes. The soreness and heaviness of my body was gone. There was now a light feeling inside me...frivolous even. But before I could even celebrate from my drastic recovery, I froze when I finally realized that there were two arms wrapped around me.

What the...

I turned to my left and gaped as I saw Victor beside me. His eyes were closed and his breathing was even. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep. Too bad I didn't care one bit. I pushed him away from me. "You pervert! Get your hands off me!" I yelled at him.

Victor opened an eye and just looked at me, not in the least ruffled by my loud voice. "I'm still sleeping, stupid."

I glared at him as I struggled to push him away from me. His hands were still around my waist and his body was near mine. I used my legs to kicked him but he didn't budge. "Go away you perverted moron!"

He didn't say anything. Just went on with his sleep.

"Yeah right. Very mature," I said, sarcastically rolling my eyes.

With one more push, I gave up. He wouldn't move and he wouldn't let go of me. It was funny how his ears seemed to have the capacity to block out all the noises I had caused. I lied down stiffly on my back, gritting my teeth. I was furious. What was he thinking? Was he mocking me? Sure, he was strong and he could kill 100 men in one night, but that didn't give him the right to ignore my rights as I woman!

"Victor," I groaned, pushing him away from me once again.

Suddenly, a chuckle rumbled low at the base of his throat. I felt it vibrate because of the close distance between us. It gave me goosebumps. It gave me the more reason to push him away from me. "VICTOR!" I shouted at his ear.

"I heard you," he said, still not opening his eyes. "Just let me hold you for a moment."

I froze, finally realizing how fast my heart was pounding against my chest. I could feel my face grow hotter by the second. What was wrong with this guy? One moment, he would be scary and all and in another moment he could say such..._sweet _things. He was just too...unpredictable.

I felt my body relaxed a little, but the thumping from my heart was deafening. I could feel the blood rushing to my face. My mother always told me that I shouldn't let any guy touch me, or let myself be disrespected by any guy, but in this case it seemed like I had no choice. Ever since I was younger, I had always been cautious around guys. My mother always lectured me about boys and how their minds work.

As the seconds passed, I was beginning to feel comfortable with Victor around, although I try hard not to. His breathing was even and it filled the whole room. Despite the coldness outside, I felt warm with his arms wrapped around me. I studied his face. I didn't know if he was sleeping or not, but since his eyes were closed I guessed he was asleep.

With just one look at Victor, anyone would definitely think that he was up to no good. His appearance was just too..._different. _But now, he looked like a tired guy who just needed a break. It made me wonder how old he was and what did he do for a living.

_I hunt down my preys._

I shuddered as I reminisced our little conversation. Up until now, I still didn't know anything about him. For me, he was just another piece of puzzle which I had to solve. But I could feel that whatever or whoever he was, I wouldn't like it.

With one last look, I closed my eyes and lulled myself to sleep, although I didn't find it that hard to fall asleep because of the steady breathings of Victor and the loud heartbeat that sang me to sleep. I wasn't so sure whose heartbeat it was but I assumed it was mine...or his.

When I woke up, it was cold again and when I looked at my right, Victor was gone. He left no trace of him or any sign that he even lied down there. That idiot...what was he trying to prove?

**Well? What do you think? Thanks for those who reviewed and everyone who liked the story! It's really...flattering to know there are a lot of people who's enjoying this. ^^ anyway, pleaaaaaaaaaase review!**

**P.S: I wonder what blog title is more intriguing, Simon says or The point in the question mark? O_o**


	9. Part Nine: MAKE A GUESS

**HEY GUYS! I'm back! ^^ thanks for the reviews...as well as those who put this story in their favorites and alerts. I'm touched that at least some people appreciates my work...^^ but of course my family supports me..(duh!) Sorry if it took so long for me to update...i was busy writing my own story...which i hope would be interesting...the story i'm writing isn't a fanfic so i have no intentions of posting it here, unless i would have the guts to post it on fictionpress...^o^ anyway, please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: No...no matter how much I love sabretooth I do not own him...but if you want to make me happy, give him to me this Christmas! ^^ oh, as well as any x-men characters that might pop out of nowhere in this chapter...^^ (i wonder how much sabretooth would cost...^o^)**

Part Nine: MAKE A GUESS

As I sat on a park bench in a cold bleak Sunday afternoon, I watched the people who passed by. I couldn't help but noticed the looks I received from them. They had this curious look on their faces. At first, it didn't bother me. I thought they were just some harmless passerby just like me. The first was a woman with white hair and dark skin. I got to admit she was beautiful and was older than me. At first glance, she seemed preoccupied with her own business. She was on a phone, but then I noticed that her eyes were on me. But I pretended not to mind.

The second person was a guy with brown hair. He looked okay except for the fact that he was wearing shades even though it wasn't sunny. In fact, it was a little dark. Not much people would go to the park in this kind of weather, but I didn't mind since I didn't have anything better to do at home. The man looked like he's in his middle twenties just like the woman. He got his hand deep in his pockets as he passed by. Even though the heavily tinted shades hid his eyes, I knew that they were on me.

The third was a girl, who seemed to have the same age as me, jogging. Her brown hair ran down just below her shoulders. Two white streaks framed her delicate face. She was in her sweatpants, running shoes and a hoodie with a smiling face printed on it. She ran past me and when I looked at her I spotted her looking back at me. She looked normal but I could feel something _different _from her.

That was peculiar...but I tried to shrug it off.

Later, the brown haired guy had a redheaded girl around him. They were whispering to each other and even though they were a few yards behind me, I knew that they were talking about me. I cautiously turned around to face them, checking if they were looking at me but as soon as I caught them looking at me, they averted their gaze and pretended they were talking about something else.

It was insulting. Obviously, they were watching me. No matter how hard they would pretend, I still knew. I wasn't born yesterday.

I gathered the book I brought and was about to leave when the girl who was jogging a while ago approached me.

"Hey there," the girl said.

Right on that moment I knew that she was being forced to talk to me. I could hear it in the tone of her voice. She sounded bored. The Southern accent was also loud and clear. I hastily hid my surprise. "Do I know you?" I asked. I knew that it was rude but the last time I had talked to a stranger it didn't turn out good.

She shook her head. "No, although I know you."

My eyes widened, shocked. I heard that line before. "How?" The shock expression on my face was quickly replaced by a suspicious look. Does everyone around here know who I am?

"Don't worry, we're not stalking you or anything," the girl said, seeming to get the expression on my face. Yeah right. As if that was true.

"I'm Rogue," she said, cautiously.

I just gave her a hard look. "I will be glad to tell you my name but I guess you already know," I mumbled rather coldly.

She laughed. "Yeah. Elijah Harpen, right?"

I studied her face. It was so pale and was perfectly sculpted. It was not then that I noticed how guarded her eyes looked. It was as if she was prepared to see anything pouncing at her. Was she a mutant like Victor? I tore my gaze off her as I felt pairs of eyes drilling holes on me. It was the same guy with the shades and the redheaded girl. I narrowed my eyes on them, watching them steadily as they moved away. What could they possibly want?

Rogue chuckled. "Relax. It's not like anybody's going to jump out of nowhere," she said.

I found it ironic hearing those words from her. She was the one who looked tensed...not me. Even though she was trying very hard to act cool, there were still some urgency in her actions. She seemed like a nice girl, except for the fact that she kept on giving this suppressed atmosphere. It was as if she was trying to express herself and yet found it hard to.

"What do you want?" I snapped. The words came out of my mouth harsher than I thought it would be. Good thing Rogue didn't seem to be in the least bothered by the tone of my voice.

"Nothin'," she said.

That was funny. What kind of person would try to get to know a stranger if she didn't want anything from that person? I shook my head. For the past months, I had gotten used to the fact that not everyone was to be trusted. "Yeah right." I was walked away, hoping that she would just go away. When I was sure that I had put enough distance between us, I looked back. Rogue was still there, although she wasn't looking at me anymore. She was busy talking to a short, stocky man with a peculiar hair style. The guy was chewing on cheap cigars.

I shook my head. Those people were weird. Who would want to go out on a jog in this type of day? It was a good thing that it wasn't snowing today, but it sure was cold. Tearing my gaze from them, I continued trudging away from them. I had met one strange person and I wouldn't want to meet more today or in the rest of my life.

**:**

"Where you've been today?"

I turned around just to see Victor Creed standing right behind me. I sucked in a deep breath before answering him. "To the park."

"Park?" He sounded puzzled.

"Is there something wrong about that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He just smirked and didn't say anything.

It had been a week ever since I caught a cold. A week ever since he had taken care of me. I could say that the event was the turning point of our relationship. He became much bearable and obedient...like a dog. Although his boastfulness and his egoistic self was still there. There were still some times where he would act all high and mighty but somehow I had discovered that I had this power over him as well.

"What's for dinner?" he asked, peering over my shoulder.

I shrugged. "Don't know."

"You're experimenting again," he stated, dryly.

I glared at him. "Is there a problem?"

He shook his head. "None." He headed towards the couch and plopped down on it. Just like the usual nights, he would just turn the television on and do nothing. He was just a lazy mutt, although he always looked exhausted. After all these months, I still hadn't gotten a decent answer from him about his career. Hunting his own preys? Yeah right. Who would ever fall for that kind of answer?

I laid down the two plates on the table. "Dinner's ready," I said, raising my voice a little for him to hear me. For the passed nights, I found it easier to eat dinner together with him. But of course I still see to it that I would not get too comfortable around him.

I sat down and started eating first without him. Well, even if he was getting bearable to be with it didn't mean that I would practically do everything with him. Of course not. After a few more minutes, Victor finally sat down. He looked at me first before digging in to his dinner. I wondered what he was thinking. Whenever I looked at him, he always got this...don't-mess-with-me look. But he was the one kept yearning for the attention. He was like a..._child king*._

I watched him gobbled down everything on his plate. It was always like that whenever I watched him eat. He eats as if there would be no tomorrow. I saw something silver glinted from around his neck. A dog tag. He must be from the army...or had been in the army. No wonder he ate like that. If I wasn't mistaken, they were always taught that there would be no guarantee that they could eat the next day. It was true anyway. We'll never know when our next meal would be.

"What are you looking at?" Victor asked with his mouth full.

I shook my head. "Nothing," I told him. I veered my attention back to my meal, noting to myself never to gape at him like that. It would only lead to unwanted events. I shuddered at the sudden reminiscence of that incident. Sometimes, I could still feel the cold lingering on the exact same spot.

"What did you do in the park?"

"Stare."

Victor snorted. "Yeah right. I knew you met someone interesting this afternoon."

I bit my tongue to prevent myself from groaning. Really. What's wrong with these people nowadays? How could do know everything?

Victor smirked. "Gotcha."

I shook my head. "Not exactly a person who's interesting."

This time, it was Victor's turn to raise an eyebrow. "If I'm not mistaken, her name's Rogue."

Again, I hid my surprise from him but I should have known better.

"You can't hide anything from me," he taunted, swaying his hand from left to right.

I rolled my eyes. True. This guy got his eyes and ears everywhere. Good thing it wasn't his hands.

"One word of advice, don't talk to them," he said, face turning serious all of a sudden. The playfulness a while ago had vanished. He didn't have to say that again. I had learned my lesson thanks to him. And anyway, I wouldn't want to find myself entangled in somebody else's business again. Looked at what it had gotten me.

"Do I get myself clear?" Victor asked, snapping me out of my trance.

I nodded. "Sure," I said lowly, barely audible for him.

He smirked. "Good." And he turned his attention back to his meal. With one last look on him, I put down my spoon and fork. I think I had lost my appetite. "Here," I said, shoving the plate towards him.

He didn't look at the plate I had offered to him. Just like what I had said, he acted like a spoiled kid. I stood up from my seat and walked over the sink. Something was telling me that it was the perfect time to ask Victor the questions that really bothered me. He seemed to be in a rather good mood and he was eating.

"You never told me what you do for a living," I blurted out. It wasn't my fault those words left my mouth. It had forced its way out of me. Words are like that. They're stubborn and hard to grasp since you really cannot hold it.

Victor didn't seem to her. I should have known.

"I do some work for someone," Victor suddenly said.

I froze. Did he just answer my question? I studied him. He was sitting still, only hands moved as he ate. His eyes were pasted on the meal he was eating although I knew that his attention was on me. I took the opportunity to know more about him.

"To whom?"

"It's best if you don't know," he said.

I raised an eyebrow. Oh great, he just slipped me one itsy-bitsy information just to torture me again. This guy was so..._unbelievable. _"Then where are you during the day?"

"Anywhere. It depends where I'm assign to work."

Another unexpected answer from Victor. Was it just my luck or was Victor starting to trust me? His usual lethal atmosphere had completely left him, although there were still some instances where I found him frightening. Almost every night, he was grumpy and moody. It was obvious that he was tired. But there some rare events where he would be a little..._cheerful. _But even if he's in a very good mood, it wasn't cute at all. He was devious when he's cheerful.

"Does hat mean you have traveled the world already?" I asked, suspiciously.

He shook his head. "Not exactly."

Finally, I got a decent conversation with him.

"Ever been to Canada?" he suddenly asked.

I shook my head.

"That's where I usually go," he said, a wolfish grin forming on his face.

"Oh..."

"You should go there sometimes," Victor added.

That was weird. He was acting peculiar, although he was always acting strange everyday. Every night, he surprises me. It seemed like he would never ran out of surprises for me. Almost like a clown...a _bad _clown.

"How did you come to know me?" I finally asked.

Silence settled between us. It was the that I realized that my hands were sweating and my heart was fluttering. I could feel the butterflies flying inside my stomach looking for a way out. Was I that nervous for the answer? Or was I nervous of his reaction? He might go on a tantrums. Even though I only knew him for a short time I discovered that Victor hated it whenever I got a little too curious about him.

"Because of a little mutant girl," he said, loudly.

I stared at him, stunned. He actually answered that question. I was only expecting a snide comment from him or something violent, but instead he gave me a decent answer although it still didn't satisfy my thirsty curiosity.

"What do you mean?"

Victor shrugged. "There was this one little mutant girl who showed me the future." He paused and finally looked up at me to meet my gaze. His eyes held mine as he looked at me with intensity. "You're going to my key."

Key?

My eyes widened. That didn't sound good. "Key for what?" I asked, narrowing my eyes on him. I backed away, feeling a little scared. "Tell me Victor."

And the most dreadful thing had happened...Victor showed off his signature smirk with his sharp teeth protruding from his lips. "Make a guess."

**Well, how's the chapter? I know it's kinda boring and I'm sorry for it...anyway, please review!**

***Got that term from the Sphere by Michael Crichton. xD**

**P.S: I'm currently addicted to the song I'm so Sick, Perfect Circle and May I...^^ and blogging too...^o^**


	10. Part Ten: PERFECT CIRCLE

**Hey Guys! I'm back..^^ sorry if the update took too long. A lot had happened the last few days. I didn't even have the time to open my emails. Except for yesterday. And when I saw it, i couldn't believe my eyes. There were over a hundred emails...O_O (Of course almost all of them came from facebook since my friends kept on commenting and commenting on a photo of mine...) And the rest were from ! Yey! Keep the reviews coming. ^^ anyway, please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sabertooth or any X-men characters that might appear from thin air (but I won't mind if you give them to me! ^o^). At the bright side, I do own Elijah. **

Part Ten: PERFECT CIRCLE

There was one saying from Confucius that had really struck me he most. "A thousand miles starts with one step." It's true, though. If we don't start now, then we'll never get the thousand miles. And now that I got that one step, the road unfolds before me. Unfortunately, the road I was taking was torturing me, especially since the notorious Victor Creed was now staring me down. Damn. How did it come to this?

Just a while ago, I was afraid that Victor might stop talking, but instead, he kept on going once I started firing the questions at him. But now, I was actually afraid of the answer. Key for what?

"Make a guess."

And that was when I took the first step in the road which I would regret later on. I gave him a bitter look. "A key for your stupidity," I snorted, rolling my eyes sarcastically.

He just chuckled. "Next."

I glowered at him. "Stop playing games with me."

"I have been playing games with you so why stop now?" Victor sneered, earning another scowl from me.

"The key for your redemption then?" I mocked, not actually taking it seriously. First of all, this guy had no chance in seeking his redemption. He would not change and never would. He lack the determination to change.

The smile suddenly widened on Victor's face. "Somehow."

I froze momentarily. Redemption? Whoa. I was just kidding a while ago. I studied the wolfish grin on his face. There was sign of humor on it. He might be saying the truth. His eyes were dead serious although the smile on his face showed mockery- almost like a dark humor. He was trying to make it sound funny but he wasn't succeeding. The hair on my arms stood as a shiver ran down my spine. Victor always made me feel hat way...uncertain and uncomfortable.

"What do you mean?"

Victor shrugged nonchalantly. "You've something others don't."

Again with the answer. i bit my tongue to prevent myself from screaming at him. Why did he have to make everything seemed so simple when in fact tit was so complicated for me? Was he playing another trick on me? Not once had I seen him take anything seriously- well, except for the time when he became so angry at me.

A laugh erupted from Victor. I could see that he was enjoying the confusion on my face. It was making me peeved. I would gladly kick him outside my house but he was just so...

"What is it then?" I asked, my tone was challenging.

Victor smirked showing off his sharp teeth. I got to admit, there were times i wondered if he even sharpen those teeth. It was just so..._sharp. _But I know one couldn't sharpen their teeth so that was just a stupid thought.

"You're going to be important in Magneto's plan."

Who the heck is Magneto? Damn it. I narrowed my eyes on him, waiting for him to tell me who Magneto was but he didn't. Asking him questions wouldn't do me any good. It would just give me some more questions to ask. Something I hated about him.

Victor abruptly stood up from his seat and strode towards me. I watched him cautiously as he moved, wondering what he was thinking. Now that he was standing in front of me, I noticed how huge he was. He was looking down on me as if I was something he could possibly eat. He always had that greedy look on his face.

He raised his hand and reached out towards me but my hands automatically shot up and slapped it away. "Hey!"

Victor laughed calmly not in the least bothered by my harshness and informality.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked, innocently. His deep smooth voice was low, almost whispering. It was the same voice he used on me during that incident...that disgusting- I shuddered at the sudden remembrance of the unwanted event. That had definitely scarred me as deep as the scar on my right arm.

"Y-yes," I stammered, fumbling for the words to come out of my mouth. Again, his eyes were locked on mine and it was almost...inviting. His deep brown eyes were drowning me. It was funny how those could sometimes be deadly and sometimes be so..._tempting._

"Too Bad," he said. His hand went up again, reaching towards me. My whole body went stiff. Even if my mind was shouting at me to move I couldn't. Something else was holding me still. I dared not to break my eye contact with Victor for it would only show how scared I was of him. It might give him a terrifying idea.

"Stop it...please," I said hastily before he could even touch me.

His hand froze in midair. "You were saying something?"

"Stop it...please,' I repeated as calmly as I could. I looked at him directly in the eyes.

"Suit yourself." And he whipped away from me, obviously taken aback but he was trying hard not to show it. I appreciated the effort but it was still visible with his actions. I watched him plop down on the couch and started watching television again just like the usual pattern. I let out a sigh of relief before picking up the plates and doing the dishes. His actions were weird. It made me wonder if he was even thinking correctly. There must be- had to be a glitch on his brain.

"Dinner tastes good tonight," Victor suddenly said, startling me. I almost dropped the plate on the sink but good thing I caught it before it could even land and break. Yet again, another unexpected comment coming from the hifalutin Victor Creed.

For the past few months, Victor Creed was becoming more and more unusual. The first time I met him, he was short tempered and cruel and now, he was all sarcastic and playful...almost like a cat instead of a wolf now. I narrowed my eyes on him. There was something he wanted from me so he was trying every way he could think of just to get it. Now the question was what did he want from me? A key? Oh come on. That was the lamest thing I'd ever heard. Those lines were just from the movies right? There was no way that I could be really that important.

"Want to watch with me?"

Victor's voice pulled me back to reality. I blinked letting the words sink inside my mind. "Huh?" I asked, dumbly even though I heard him perfectly clear.

"Nothing," he said, chuckling and turning his attention back to the t.v. show he was watching.

That was weird.

I watched him move as I washed the dishes. There was nothing unusual with the way he sat on the couch. His feet was shamelessly on top of the coffee table. He leaned back comfortably on the couch. All that was missing was the popcorn and he would look like a couch potato.

I dried my hands after washing the dishes and putting them aside. It was my usual routine every night to left him be but this time, I changed my mind. I sat down on the couch, as far away from him as possible- almost as if he had this communal disease. He kept on switching channels, as if he couldn't decide what to watch. He was always like that.

"What do you want to watch?" he suddenly asked.

"Nothing," I replied, feeling the blood rush to my face. "In fact, I only sat here because I still got this one question."

He didn't look at me but I could see that he was amused. "And that question is?"

"What's Magneto's plan?"

Abruptly, he stopped clicking the remote. He gave me a spine-chilling grin. "You want to find out?"

I gave him a suspicious look but nevertheless I nodded my head.

"It's just a one perfect circle," he said.

An eyebrow flew up. "What do you mean?"

Victor shrugged. "I don't know where to begin because there'll be no end to it."

My eyes widened in surprise. I didn't know that Victor could think that deeply. I always thought that he was just an idiot with all muscles and no brain. "To what?"

"Discrimination between my kind and your kind," he went on pointing his finger at me and then to him. I think I knew where he was getting at. It was then that I realized why the name Magneto was familiar. He was that guy who kept on threatening the government. The old mutant guy with a flashy costume.

"And what does that have to do with me?" I asked, baffled. What key was I for? I wasn't a mutant. I wasn't a mutant hater.

"Oh. It got everything to do with you," he said. "You've been caught in the middle of it-in the middle of one perfect circle of endless violence and misunderstandings."

I cringed. That didn't sound good. In fact, a bomb falling on me was way better than hearing that. What was he talking about? The confusion must have been etched on my face that Victor just laughed making me a lot more frustrated.

"I'm not going to say that you're the key to finishing the problem," he told me. "I'm saying that you're the key to get that circle rolling."

As I said...a bomb falling on me was a lot better than hearing those words..._way _better.

**What do you think? Sorry if the chapter was a little...confusing. I was in a hurry when I typed this down because i'm afraid I might not finish it before i get really busy...anyway, please REVIEW!**

**P.S: Got the chapter title from the song Perfect Circle by Passive...currently, I'm getting addicted to Constantine! ^^ (Keanu! kyaah!) **


	11. Part Eleven: IN BLOOM

**Hey guys! Sorry for the so, so, sooooooooooooooooooooooo late update. School never has been as hectic as this year. Being a "teen" now is really taking a toll on me...especially what's with our Investigatory Project? O_O I just want to bang my head on a wall or something. But now that our project's out of my head, I've been able to think of updating this story...since a lot of people are demanding me to update...so think of this as my advance christmas gift...Anyway, please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Victor Creed is not mine, although the good news is, my plan on how to kidnap him is still under construction. ^_^ **

**P.S.: Again, I'm so sooooooooo sorry for the late update..._ let me make up for the lost time.**

Part Eleven: IN BLOOM

I stared up at the clouds, wondering if there was a storm brewing. The wind was steady and harmless, showing no sign of a storm. It was funny how I could still feel at ease in this type of weather. Although the wind was calm, it didn't prevent the people to wear something thick enough to trap the heat they needed. I pulled my jacket a little closer as I walked briskly, passing by the familiar shops and stalls along the way. I couldn't help but keep on glancing behind me or sidewards. It wasn't my fault anyway. I was used to having someone following me. Yeah. Everyday there's someone who would follow me. Sometimes, they would be too casual that you wouldn't even think of them stalking you, but some were really obvious. Especially the one who was following me today.

Yup. For the passed two weeks after my last meeting with Victor, at least someone would follow me home or follow me to school. Each day was different, but sometimes, I would notice a bunch of familiar faces-like the girl with auburn hair with two strips of white highlights that framed her pale face. And the other one was a stocky man with a very weird hairstyle. He was the most obvious stalker I had ever seen- but it's not like I had a lot- well, now I did. The guy always smoked and whenever I saw him, he was glowering at me. Maybe it was me, or the fact that he really just looked like he was angry at the whole world. Nevertheless, I would just pretend that he didn't exist. One time, he cleared his throat at me and then he would go pretending that he didn't do anything. And another time, he would be sniffing at me, as if I didn't shower!

But today, it was the girl. Since she was often the stalker of the day, I had already gotten quite used to her tactics: which was to pretend that she was buying a hotdog sandwich from the stall and would pretend that she was on the phone. Couldn't people get any more creative than that? I casted another glance over my shoulder. The girl was still there, with her act up. It was obvious that she was aware that I was looking at her although she didn't have any intentions of showing me her awareness.

It was no good. I could almost see right through her facade. For days I had been meaning to tell this to Victor, hoping that he had an answer to all my questions but by just thinking of telling him all these made me think twice. What if he might perceive me as a weak and spineless person? He would definitely laugh at me and point out that I was a coward. I shuddered as his low, smooth voice echoed inside my head. No way in hell would I tell him that. What's left of my pride just wouldn't allow it.

Ignoring the fact that someone was tailing me, I turned on a corner, hoping to confuse her all over again. For days, I had done everything I could to throw them off my trail. I wouldn't want them to know where I lived. I learned my lesson anyway. Victor had made sure that I would learn that lesson. I turned to another corner, realizing that I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings anymore, although I was certain that I could always find an exit in that side. The sun was still up, although it was threatening to go to its slumber. The crowds started to thin out. But the woman was still there, behind me. I shook my head. Even though I was not a spy or anything that was related in that career, I knew how to follow someone without giving it away.

Turning to another corner, I checked if the girl was still there behind me, and sure enough, she was. This time, she was clearly puzzled with my choice of direction. It was not my fault. Maybe if she would stop following, I would let her off the hook. She had decided to drop the act and put her phone back to her pockets. The hotdog she had bought seemed to have been forgotten by her as she looked at the new environment with a bewildered look. What could I say? Everyday, I changed my route and everyday, they would eventually give up on me.

Or maybe not.

As I turned to another corner, I saw the girl disappearing, falling back behind me. Was it possible that she had lost track of her? Wow. That took shorter than before. Usually, it would took hours to be able to confuse them, especially if the stocky man was the one who was stalking me. They weren't that hard to trick.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I now focused my thoughts on finding my way back to my apartment. It wasn't that hard since I was still thinking rather calmly. Maybe if the sun would start setting, I would probably start panicking right now, and possibly could lead me to getting lost in an alien place. Now that I thought of it, I had never crossed this part of the city. The walls were bare and cracked at some certain places. There were some inappropriate writings on the dirty walls. The sun was still up. Nothing could actually happen in broad daylight, right? I looked around, anxiously. Maybe that's the reason why the girl went away. She knew.

Unconsciously, I got annoyed. If she was stalking me, she should have informed me that we were about to enter a dangerous and dirty place. Looking up, I saw the windows were covered with grime, and at the same time, every window curtain was drawn. It was as if the people were hiding from something or to someone. Suddenly, I was very much aware that I was in an unknown and secluded place which could also be dangerous. Maybe being followed by a girl wasn't so bad. It was even better than having had to walk along the eerie corners of this side of town.

There was a startling sound behind me, but I ignored it, pretending that I was only making it up because of the anxiety that had arose inside my chest. All of a sudden, I was astounded to find myself wishing that Victor was there. I almost slapped myself for permitting myself to think that thought. Of course I wouldn't let him see me so afraid in the middle of a deserted corner. I could already see his smug face and I could just hear his voice telling me what a coward I was. The mere thought of it made me grit my teeth because of irritation. I wouldn't let him see that side of me.

Moving on, I turned to a corner just because my instincts told me so- and anyway, it was the brightest corner I had to choose so that probably meant I would go back to the same street I used when going home, but to my futile attempt, I was engulfed in the scary side of the town. The sun was starting to move down, painfully slow, knowing when to stop my heart from beating because of nervousness.

I turned to another corner, this time picking a dark one. I knew that I person with a right mind wouldn't choose a suspicious looking corner to turn to, but who said that I had a right mind? Of course I didn't. It was the only reason I could come up with to why I chose to go there at that secluded and dark corner when I knew that possibilities that might happen to me in there. But as I was walking deeper and deeper in the alley, the prickly feeling at the back of my neck returned. There was a feeling that I was being watched-watched by someone who didn't want to be seen by me.

Without warning, I felt a hand snaking up to my neck. I yelped and tried to turn around, but the hand held me in place. Hot breath brushed the side of my neck, sending shivers down my spine. My breath seemed to choke me as my heart started to pound so wildly that it felt like it was blocking the airways in my lungs.

"Didn't know that a woman like you would dare to go in a place like this."

I stiffened as the voice hit me. The warm breath washed over me as I felt something cold pressing on my neck-a feeling that I already experienced. The invisible mark that the event brought burned as it was reintroduced to the lips that had dared touch my bare skin. I wanted to pull away but the hand had held me firmly on my place. No matter how much a struggle, it was useless under _his _grasp. Victor was stronger than any man I knew and I bet that he was even stronger than any animal I knew.

"What are you doing here?" I croaked, finding my voice amidst the stampede that my heart was causing. I could feel the cold thing making up to my lower jaw and it lingered there for a while. Something was tickling me and I had a terrible thought that his lips were getting nearer and nearer to mine. I gulped hard.

He chuckled, and I could feel his throat vibrating against my shoulder. It was making it harder and harder for me to breathe normally. "I was the first to ask. Where are your manners? Don't I deserve to hear your answer first?"

I dared to squirm a little under his clutches, but his grip on me tightened, almost threatening to crush me. Did he even know anything about personal space?

Victor's grasp softened a little as he felt me tensed. His chin was still placed on top of my shoulder, his cheek tickling my face. I could breathe in his scent, and somehow, I found myself used to it. He always smelled the same anyway. His smell wasn't that pleasant, but it wasn't too bad also. He just smelled like a man who seemed to work under the sun the whole day.

"Now, back to my question. What are you doing here in this dangerous place?" he asked, his voice almost like a purr to my ears. But now that I thought of it, it wasn't really threatening anymore, in fact, it was almost as if he was cooing me into answering his questions. For the first time, something made me want to tell him the issue about people stalking me each day, but another part of me wasn't going to give in so easily.

"I was just curious," I lied through gritted teeth. It was a pathetic lie, but I found it rather reasonable and sensible.

He laughed. "Can you tell how long have we known each other?"

I would have wanted to shake my head but his close proximity was making it hard. Nowadays, the hours just slipped by my fingers, making it look like a blur. It was impossible to keep track of time ever since I met Victor. It was as if he had put an enchantment on time, cursing it to go faster and faster and faster.

"I know you for so long that I know every mannerisms and fears you have," he whispered, his voice suddenly becoming dangerously low. Something urge me to pull away from him but again, the same spell had started to kick in again-making everything seemed irrational.

Victor let go of my waist, but he was still maintaining the distance between us. He made me turn around to face me. "Like whenever you lie, you can't look straight into my eyes," he said, as I felt the familiar waved of piercing force coming from his eyes. There was no denying that the sheer force coming from him was irresistible. I tried looking for something that could prevent myself from sneaking a peek from his eyes. "Elijah." My name rolled slowly from his tongue, so perfectly and so easily that it almost convinced me that he had been saying that name for a long time. Victor seldom say my name. His hand slowly reached up to stroke my face, but I instinctively slapped it away.

"Jolty," he muttered, chuckling a little. I could feel my heart starting to pick up speed again as it pounded against my chest. My heart felt like it was being constricted very slowly. This was it. Just one mistake and it would lead to disaster. His eyes were on me and mine on him. And for the first time, I realized that his eyes weren't brown nor black. It was blue...no...it was grey. Or a little bit of both. His eyes were...

Taking advantage of my trance as I wondered about his eyes, he gently placed his hand on my cheek, stroking it very slowly. I snapped out at the sudden contact, but I found myself liking the sensation his touch had given me. I felt like melting beneath it. The weariness and exhaustion that had been nagging me the whole weeks-and months seemed to start taking its effect on me. My eyes felt heavy, and my surroundings seemed to vaporized around me, and yet I was fully aware of what was happening. Victor leaned forward, bringing his face nearer to mine. Both of his hands were now cupping my face. "You're tired," he said as his warm breath washed over my face. He made me look straight into his eyes, and I found myself obliging to do so.

"Yeah," I admitted, still stuck in the dreamlike state.

"Something's bothering you and you're not telling me," he said.

"Yeah."

I thought that he would laugh, but surprisingly, he sighed. "Why can't you trust me?"

"I don't want to."

He brought me nearer. "Can you trust me now?"

I nodded my head. "Maybe."

For some moments, the two of us fell silent. No one bothered saying a word, although the intensity of his gaze still made me feel like my feet were touching the clouds instead of the solid concrete underneath. I was surprised to find myself comfortable with him like this.

"Well?" Victor asked, urging me to explain to him what was bothering me.

I didn't answer

"Elijah," he said again, so softly.

And in that moment, I didn't know what hit me but I snapped out of the hideous trance and realized, as if for the first time, that his face was merely inches from mine. His eyes roamed all over my face, although concern was evident, there was something dark behind it, as if everything was all going according to his plan. One word crossed my mind. He was manipulating me. Once again, even though I knew that the attempt would be futile, I tried to pull away from him.

"Just tell me what's bothering you," Victor said, once more although this time, his tone was much more threatening than before. His patience was running out and the whatever spell he had used on her was quickly disappearing. I had even found myself wondering if he was some kind of a magician too. He was a mutant after all, so that meant there were a lot of possibilities that he could do anything that a normal person couldn't.

His clutch seemed to tighten as I struggled under his grasp. This position was making me more and more uncomfortable, but he wasn't showing any signs of letting go of me. If he was determined to get something out from me, then he was going to get it. Sooner or later, I was going to burst and blurt out everything that was bothering me.

"Someone's following me," I finally said, the words stumbling smoothly out of my lips.

I thought that when I finally told him, he would let me go, but he didn't. He pulled me closer to him again. "Who?" Was he angry? I didn't know, because his normal look always seemed angry. To me, it was hard to distinguish if he was angry or concerned, but there was only one thing that I could say. He had a weird way of showing that he was concerned.

"I don't know," I said, softly. It was true. I didn't know their names-more likely-I forgot their names. If I wasn't mistaken, they introduced themselves to me one time during a bleak, dull day. My memory about it was still a little hazy because of the days that had passed by and because during those days, my head was still a little preoccupied due to the same questions that had terrorized my poor, exhausted brain. Up until now, I was still wishing that this nightmare would just stop and the good old days would come back. For the first time in a month, something ached inside me. I missed the Newtons. I missed the bookstore. I missed the days when I would eat dinner inside that small, warm house.

Seeing the sadness that seeped through me, Victor blinked and, as if in defeat, let go of me. "Don't worry. I'm here."

Yet again, here he was again, saying something sweet in an eerie way. The way his eyes were clouded with something scary and threatening. I didn't know why but I was starting to feel sorry for the people who were following me. If only they knew who Victor was, they wouldn't be messing with me.

"What's that?" Victor asked, his voice pulling me away from my thoughts. His finger traced the light scar that he had left that fateful night when he caught me having dinner with the Newtons. For the passed days, the pain I experienced when I gained that scar was still etched deep inside my mind. Of course at first I thought I wouldn't forgive him for doing such treacherous thing to me, but now, as I inspected his concerned face, a crazy impulse washed over me. It made me wonder what it felt like to actually touch his cheeks and to run my fingers on his brown hair. But as quickly as it came, I shrugged it all off my mind.

What was I thinking? I hate him! Remember? I was supposed to make him pay. If I ever caught myself thinking like that ever again, I wouldn't forgive myself. It was like I was admitting to myself that Victor was going to win and I wasn't even going to put up a fight. No way in hell would I hand to him the success and triumph he wanted? Over my dead body.

But then I realized that, he could really kill in just a blink of an eye.

His touch was light as a feather. I could barely feel it. His eyes were glued on the scar, but I was too busy looking at his face. We hadn't seen each other for weeks now and I noticed some changes. His appearance looked more ragged and tired. The usual fire in his eyes had dimmed and there were dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't been able to get enough sleep. Ignoring his question, I narrowed my eyes on him. "Why are you here?" I asked, although that wasn't the question I wanted to ask. I liked to find out what he had been up to whenever he would disappear for a long time. And I noticed that every time he did come back, he was more exhausted than before.

"You're dodging my questions again," he said as he continued running his finger down the length of the scar he had given me. It was tempting to snap at him and tell him that it was his fault that I gained that scar, but fear gripped me so suddenly like a thief creeping breaking in a house in the middle of the night while the owner's asleep. I kept mouth shut.

"You're also dodging mine," I told him.

For one terrifying second, I thought that he was going to growl at me or shout at me but instead, he chuckled, as if he had just heard a joke that had made his day. "You want an answer?"

I nodded my head, although I was quite surprised to hear him say that. He was, again, in one of his cheerful moods where he would entertain my questions.

"I have to keep a closer eye on you," he said. Turning serious, he grabbed hold of my wrist and tugged me closer to him. I slammed hard against his chest but he didn't seem to mind. "Because I care about you." And he brought his face closer to mine-again. I blinked, momentarily dazed at the sudden change of position. His eyes were on mine and my heart kept on beating again. I demanded my body to move but it wouldn't budge. It stayed there waiting for whatever to come at me.

I avoided to look at his lips, afraid that I might lose control of myself, but the mere thought of him standing so close to me was already driving me crazy.

It felt like forever when he kept on leaning towards me. There was a dull ringing buzzing inside my ears. And at last, I dared myself to look at his lips and upon doing so, I resented my stupidity. Wild thoughts entered my head. What was it like to kiss him? I had a haunch that it was going to be thrilling because he was a villain. It wasn't everyday to see an innocent girl kissing a villain...

Wait a minute! Was I crushing on him?

The realization hit me so hard that my defense mechanism kicked in. I pushed Victor away from me and started running away from him.

No. I would never ever like a guy who would actually _kill _to impress a girl! Never. No way in hell. As I ran, I heard Victor laughing behind me. I knew that there was no use running away from him because he was going to catch up anyway. Skidding to a stop, I tried to catch my breath. I had to admit, the distance I created between me and Victor wasn't that much. I could still see him from here. He was walking towards me with his relaxed, complacent demeanor. I saw his signature smirk where he would show his fangs.

"You can never get away from me," he stated.

As if I was trying...

**Well? You can kill me now for updating soooooooooooo late...but I hope I found a way to make it up to you guys! Anyway...please review! ^^**

**Current Song: In Bloom by Nirvana! Accidentally in Love by Counting Crows and Everyday Superhero by Smash Mouth**

**P.S: Sorry if it sucks...didn't have time to edit it...**


	12. Part Twelve: CONCLUSIONS

**Hey guys! How's it going? Christmas is in the air and I'm feeling a little generous today and i'm doing my very best to update as soon as possible. Christmas break is coming and you know what that means? Santa is coming to town! Yey! I hope santa would give Liev Schreiber this year! Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Victor Creed or any X-men characters that would appear out of nowhere but if ever they are mine, that will be the end of the world.**

Part Twelve: CONCLUSIONS

If ever someone would ask me if I was okay, I would always shrug my shoulders and would answer "I guess so". It was true anyway. Victor had been more bearable the passed few days after that incident. It was funny how I was starting to appreciate his company. Upon his arrival, the people who had been following me had gone away, almost as if they never existed in the first place. Although, his ill-manners still irked me.

"Can't you get any faster than this?"

I gritted my teeth as the same costumer complained for the hundredth time. He was getting through my nerves already. Looking at the guy's face already made me want to punch him, but the thought of putting my work on the line was preventing me to do so. What did he want anyway? It's not like he was the only costumer I was serving. There were still a lot costumers who were waiting for their orders. And I'm not the only waitress here! There was Aron, Guy and Liz. Stupid cow-faced bastard.

Nevertheless I sucked it all up and put on a smile that whispered bloody murder. Too bad I couldn't voice it out. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm doing my best," I said, quite stiffly.

He snorted. "Is this the best you've got?"

I wanted to roll my eyes at him. This wasn't a five star restaurant. This was just a diner for Christ's sake. It wasn't a crime for waitresses or waiters to be lousy. And anyway, I wasn't that slow. In fact, I had been able to serve five tables at the same time, but this guy was slowing me down, making me a tad bit unfocused. I walked back to his table where a blond woman sat beside him. Even though he seemed like he was only in high school, the girl beside him looked more like an out-of-school sort of woman.

"Well? What are you doing standing there? Shouldn't you be getting on with your work?" the kid said. Yeah. He was only a kid. I shouldn't get too hard on him since he was just a _kid_. He wasn't worth the fight.

"Why yes. How silly of me," I said, forcing myself to sound nice and respectful towards the guy. Although it was tempting to stick out my tongue at him. As I turned my back on them, I heard someone snickering at my left side. I shot a nasty glance towards the direction. There was a guy who was sitting alone and was smiling at me like an idiot. My jaw dropped open when I figured out who the guy was. It was Nick! For the first time in a month, I had seen a grin on his face. If ever I was happy and surprise, I was certain that the happiness had outshone the surprise. Without thinking, I walked towards his table and beamed back at him. "Hey there," I said, cheerfully.

Nick chuckled. "Hey there. How's it going?" he asked.

I shrugged. Same questions, and again, I still had the same answers. "Same old," I lied. Well, actually, it wasn't exactly a lie. It was true anyway. Victor Creed wasn't new to me anymore. "How about you?" I asked, hoping that he would drop the subject about me.

"Great, I think," he said, the grin was still fixed on his face so that meant it was safe to pursue our conversation.

"How's the family?" I asked. A lump in my throat seemed to appear out of nowhere as the sudden remembrance of Ollie and Odel, as well as the kindhearted Mrs. Newton. I really missed them. The bookstore and the times when we wouldn't do anything but read the books inside the store. Those memories seemed so far away already that it was almost astounding to think that those memories were just months ago. For me, it felt like years.

"They're doing great. Ollie's asking me to check on you," he said, tearing his gaze from me. He looked at the cup of coffee he was drinking. "Odel told me that he had finally found a new replacement for you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Replacement?"

Nick laughed, and I didn't know why but something flipped over inside my stomach. I missed those laughs too. It just sounded so carefree and full of life. It was so completely unlike Victor's which was cold and cruel. "Let's face it, the kid has a crush on you, remember?"

"Huh? I thought the was kidding when he told me that he likes me," I said, my mind pulling the memory of Odel confessing to me that he had a crush on me. Of course I didn't take it seriously because he was several years younger than me.

Nick smirked. "Well, it's true. The boy's crazy about you," he went on, after he took a sip from his coffee. "He told me that he found a girl named Angela."

"Angela...Sounds like she's kind," I said, thoughfully.

Nick shrugged. "Too bad I wasn't around to find out," he said and in a way, I noted a bitterness in the tone he used in his voice. Was he actually regretting staying behind? As I looked at him, the thought of being afraid to talk to him seemed foolish of me. This was Nick we were talking about. He was the guy who was kind enough to help me out when money was scarce for me. He had been like my best friend in this alien place.

"Don't worry. You'll find out someday," I told him.

"Hey! Lady, what are you doing there chatting? Is that the best you can do?"

My back went rigid as I heard the bastard's voice. I gritted my teeth as I stopped myself from snapping back at him. Didn't he see that I was _entertaining _guest here? Nevertheless, the customer's always right. "I'll just get back to you later," I whispered to Nick. I turned around to face the high school idiot. "Sorry sir. Yes sir." This time, I didn't bother disguising the sarcasm in my voice. I didn't care anyway because the boy was just getting in my nerves already.

When I got back inside the kitchen to get the customer's orders, I heard a loud crashing sound from the outside. A look of curiosity and confusion entered our cook's face as the sound got louder and turned into angry shouts. Leaving the plates behind, I ran outside to see what was happening. The other people looked terrified as they watched two boys punching each other at the face. My eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as I realized who the guys were. Nick and the annoying high school kid were actually locked in a violent fight. Nick was on top of the bastard and the girl he was with was watching in silent fear as the scene unfolded for the people to watch.

Aron and Guy were trying to break the two boys apart but they didn't know how. Liz, on the other hand, was cowering at the opposite corner, obviously trying to call our manager who was a huge, bulky man who, in one glance, could already make one person squirm under the intensity of his gaze (although his gaze was no match to Victor's).

"Take that back!" Nick shouted as he grabbed the boy's collar and pulled him closer to his face. "I said take back what you said about Elijah."

"F-fine. I take that back! Just don't punch me again" the boy pleaded. The skin under his right eye was already swelling. It was obvious that Nick had hit him, but it was also evident that Nick had been hit too, straight in the eyes and there was a wound on the corner of his left lips.

With one last glare, Nick pushed the guy back and went back to his seat. He pulled out his wallet and paid his coffee and went out of the diner, knowing that no one would want to see him inside it ever again. I was glued on the floor after that. I couldn't believe what I just heard. Nick had caught into a fight because of me. I heard my name. The kid said something about me that made Nick so mad that it drove him to violence. That wasn't the easiest thing to do because Nick had always been known to have the longest temper ever.

"What are you looking at? Go to work!" the boy said, noticing me who was still standing transfixed on the same spot. Everyone seemed to resumed their activity as if nothing even happened. The scene was hard to erase from my head. I had never seen Nick so angry like that except for that time when he was looking at the old bookstore. But this was the him in action and not him in thought.

That night, I was in a haste to finish my shift. I didn't know why but I was hoping that I could get a word from Nick, although he must had been at home by now. When the last customer had finally gone home and it was time to close the shop and call it a day, I couldn't wait to get home where I could make myself a hot cup of coffee and have a peaceful night-although I knew that it was going to be an impossible dream because Victor would be waiting for me at my place. I sighed.

"Hey there."

I stopped dead on my tracks and tore my attention from my thoughts. Waiting there at a dark corner, Nick emerged looking quite disheveled and pale. His thick coat hang limply on his shoulder and his dark hair was slightly wet from the snow. My eyes went wide. "What are you doing here?" I asked. It was so cold outside and snow was falling. It couldn't be possible that he had been waiting outside for me. His clothes didn't suit the weather.

"I want to have a word with you," he said, his teeth were slightly chattering from the cold and there was a cloud forming every time he breathed. Taking off my scarf, I walked up to him and placed it around his neck. "There," I said. "That might help you."

Despite the cold, he smiled at me. "Thanks."

I scrutinized his face. Underneath his right eye, there was a spot of purple and the wound on the corner of his lips didn't look too good. "You okay?" I asked, pointing at the mess he had on his face. He shrugged. "Don't worry. I won't die because of these."

I shook my head. "I think you should do something about that."

He chuckled. "You sound like my mom."

"Do I?"

He grinned at me. Upon doing so, he looked away from me and turned his focus on the concrete beneath us. At the back of my mind, something was nagging me to ask him what wanted to ask. No one would wait in the dark, cold night if they didn't have a reason for doing so.

"Well?" I asked. When he gave me a questioning look, I sighed. "You definitely look like you want to ask me something."

Without answering my question first, Nick started leading the way but he was making sure that he was walking right beside me. "There's something I would like to ask you."

"Shoot," I told him, but I found myself dreading to hear his question. I had a feeling that his question was going to be a hard one. He wouldn't be waiting outside the cold within three hours if his question would be insignificant and random. He wanted some answers. I hoped I had.

"Do you remember that guy who usually comes to the bookstore? The strange, scary guy?" Nick asked, searching my face for any reactions. When I looked quite befuddled, he went on with his description. "You're boyfriend." I stopped dead on my tracks. I gave him a shocked/puzzled look that I hoped would look like I didn't know what the heck he was talking about. "Boyfriend?" I repeated, incredulously.

I could tell that even Nick seemed to be caught off guard when he saw my initial reaction. "W-well, yeah. He always comes to fetch you," he said, sounding rather unsure of himself already. He cocked his head to one side, studying my face (which made me quite self-conscious for a moment). "Isn't he your boyfriend?"

Guys. Why they always jump to conclusions? "No. He's not. He's someone I know," I told him. It was really tempting to tell him that Victor was also the sole reason why I was hating my life right now and why every night felt like a thousand years. But knowing Victor, a sane person wouldn't even believe a word I would say. In this world where everything was not what they seemed to be, no one as evil as Victor could exist. Sure, there were still some mutants hanging around (most likely, hiding) but there was something about Victor's eyes that suggested that no one could ever reach his level of evilness.

There was a look of relief in Nick's face, but I wasn't so sure. I wouldn't want to jump into conclusions. "Are you sure? He seems a little bit possessive on you," he said, accusingly. I shrugged. "He's a cousin of mine. Very protective," I lied. Right then and there, I wanted to bang my head on anything and just disappear in midair. I knew it was wrong to lie because it would usually lead to something bad. It was something I learned from Disney Original movies. I sighed. No wonder the protagonists always lie. It was hard to face the truth, but it was harder to tell others the truth.

"Cousin, huh? Figures. But how come you never introduced us to him or even mention him to us?" he asked. It was obvious that he wasn't too convinced on my amateur lie. It wasn't going to work. Victor didn't look like me at all.

"Well, because my cousin never really liked the exposure." Another lie. If ever Victor heard this gibberish I was telling Nick, he would surely die laughing. My blood began to boil as his cold, cruel laugh reverberated inside my head. At the same time, my face started to feel slightly warm.

"Oh," Nick said, looking quite content with my petty excuse. It wasn't the time to say how easy people could be fooled because right now, I was the one who was fooling him anyway so that meant I had no right or whatsoever to do complain or to point it out to him. It was my fault anyway.

I nodded my head. We were silent for a moment again.

"So, what were you saying about Victor?" I asked, curious. Of course, even though I would gladly change the subject, I also wanted to find out what Nick wanted. It had been a month since we last had an ordinary conversation like this. Let alone talk about the bookstore. I knew that up until now, Nick hadn't moved on about it. There were even some rumors flying around the campus that Nick was actually snooping around the bookstore. Even though the police had said that it must had been done by some rowdy guys who wanted to have fun, Nick wasn't convinced. He wanted to find out whoever did it and-maybe-wanted to put him to jail about it.

"Never mind. It was just a stupid idea," Nick said, avoiding to look at my eyes. I raised an eyebrow. Did I ever mention that Nick wasn't a good liar?

"What's so stupid? I'm used to it," I told him, half joking to make the him crack a smile. Unfortunately, it wasn't working. His eyebrows were mashed together, as if he was deep in thought. A look of frustration penetrated through his face. I cocked my head to one side and let him use the silence he needed.

"That guy-your cousin. I thought he was the one who wrecked the bookstore," he almost muttered. My heart froze momentarily. He returned his gaze on me and had a silly grin on his face. "But now that I know that he's your cousin, I'm sure that he wasn't the one who did it."

If only he knew...

I was afraid that if ever Nick knew, Victor might kill him. I couldn't bear thinking that it would be my fault behind his death then. I wouldn't be able to live peacefully. I found it harder to meet his eyes. Nick frowned upon this observation. "Is there something wrong?" he asked, as he tried to get a good look on my face. Darn. How could he even be so observant? I cursed his attentiveness. Without looking straight at him, I shook my head. "Nothing," I told him, although I wanted to scream at him and tell him everything about Victor and the fear that had took hold of me ever since that fateful night.

The two of us fell silent. We just kept on walking amidst the cold and it was just then that I realized that we were getting closer and closer to my apartment. I stopped. What if Victor would see me with Nick? He might think that we were hanging out (which was the truth) and he might actually seek for Nick. I shuddered at the thought. "Well, I think you should go back now. Bye!" I said, hastily as I started to walk away from him as briskly as I could.

"Wait!" Nick called out, reaching out for my wrist.

That was surprising.

"Wait," he repeated, softly this time. Sighing, I turned around to face him. I made sure that I had put a smile on my face. "Yes?" I asked.

"Uh..." He looked nervous and fidgety as I gazed expectantly. To be honest, I was getting a little impatient because I was scared that Victor might see this and who knows what that bloke might be thinking. Boys. Don't they ever get tired of jumping into conclusions so fast?

"You don't have to force it to yourself, you know," I told him, hoping that he would just drop the subject. I wasn't in the mood to do a guessing game with Nick. I wanted to get inside my apartment as fast as I could. But it wasn't because I didn't like talking to Nick. In fact, that was the entire reason why I wanted to go back. I liked talking to an old friend that I was afraid I might tell him everything about Victor and the nightmare of a life I was living right now. I knew that telling him all of that might endanger his life.

"Do you think we can have some lunches at school-or even some dinners?" Nick suddenly blurted, catching me off guard.

I didn't know what my reaction was but I could remember how I burst out laughing. I didn't mean to hurt his feelings but at first, a funny thought entered my head. When I saw how taken aback he looked like, my laughter died away. I gulped, knowing that I had made a complete fool of myself in front of him. "S-sorry about that." I tore my gaze from him. "What I meant was, s-sure. It's just that, I was quite surprise and..."

Before I could even pull out another lame excuse, Nick's face lit up with glee. "Is that a yes?"

I nodded my head. "But-"

Again, before I could even tell him a condition, he chuckled. "That's settled then. Tomorrow?"

When I open my mouth to say something, he cut me off again. "Great," he stated, eagerly. It was actually the first time I saw him to be this happy and excited. Usually, Nick was always the cool and composed guy. He seldom showed his emotions and he was always known for his being cold towards girls in the campus. I wondered if it was still Nick who was talking to me, but I tried my best to not show my surprise to him. It wouldn't be a nice topic for a conversation. Nevertheless, I smiled back at him.

"Well. Bye. See you tomorrow," he said.

The two of us fell silent. He wasn't showing any sings that he was going to leave just yet. It seemed like he wanted to say something-or do something but he didn't know how to make his move. I waited for him to leave, stopping myself to tap my foot on the process. Of course it might hurt his feeling if he knew that I was actually getting a little impatient. Maybe, if I knew that Victor wouldn't be waiting for me, I would be like this, as if I was being pushed to the edge.

Finally, the silence was getting heavier and more awkward. Nick grinned sheepishly at me. "I gotta go." I almost rolled my eyes. He had just said that for about three times already, but I stopped myself from doing so. Without warning, he leaned forward, planning to land me a kiss on the cheek. I froze momentarily, shocked. It was then that I realized that my heart was actually thundering inside my chest. I was bracing myself. For what? The kiss? No. It was not the kiss...

"Good evening."

Nick suddenly jumped back, startled at the intrusion of a deep, low voice. My heart froze. The familiar voice brought shiver down my spine. Please God, tell me it wasn't _him._

"Funny I didn't know that you'll be bringing a guest tonight," Victor said, as I felt his arm snaking around my shoulders. He was smirking down on Nick whom he was still a head taller despite of Nick's tall height. "You should have told me sooner so that we should have prepared a midnight snack." There was something dark and threatening in his voice as he said those words, but he didn't bother to disguise its mock. Was it me or was I getting a hint of sarcasm in it? His hand fell on top of my chest and I was scared that he might feel my wildly beating heart. I flushed at the thought.

Nick's smile disappeared and he looked stonily at Victor. "Good evening. I'm afraid I won't be staying long anyway so no thanks."

Victor's smile widened. "That's good."

Nick raised an eyebrow. It was hard for me to look at his eyes, but I couldn't help but be curious if he was scared or not. "Well then, good night Elijah." He slightly bowed at me that made me want to roll my eyes again. He was getting a little too formal again. He turned to look at Victor. "Good night to you too."

Victor laughed. "I hope it would be."

The two men held each other's gaze. It was funny how I was the one who felt like melting instead of one of them. Both of them showed no signs of backing down. It was amazing how Nick could stand to look straight into Victor's eyes for a long time. But even though, I was still sure that it was Nick who would buckled down under Victor's gaze. "I think you should go now, Nick," I finally declared, hoping that the two men would just quit it.

"Yeah. Good night," Nick finally said. He stormed off, obviously pissed that Victor had stole his chance to woo me.

Boys...

Victor waved at him, mocking him. "Bye."

Nick shot him one last look before getting into the elevator and disappearing.

Five seconds after Nick's departure, Victor finally let go of me and broke the silence that had dawned upon us. "I think there's something you're not telling me," he muttered as he opened the door. I was surprised that the door easily opened because I was sure that I had locked it before leaving but I didn't show it.

"Like what?" I asked, sardonically.

He chuckled, evilly. It made me shiver.

"He's wearing your scarf," Victor stated flatly as if it was the answer to my question.

"Well?" I asked, getting a little more frustrated.

As soon as we entered the apartment, he closed-slammed the door behind him. And without warning, pushed me roughly on the wall, my back on it.

"What the-"

"Shh..." he said. It was dark since the lights weren't on but I knew that he was so close to me because I could feel his heart hammering against his chest. My breath was caught in short gasps.

"What are you doing?" I almost shouted, raising my fists to beat him off me, but he quickly pinned it on the wall. His body was pressed on mine and I was afraid that he might actually crushed me. Even though it was dark, I had a distinct feeling that his face was merely inches away from mine.

Man. Did he even know anything about personal space?

"What's Nick to you?" he asked.

"W-w-what?" I stuttered.

"What's Nick to you?" he repeated, surprisingly calm.

I wasn't.

"I d-don't know. A friend," I answered, finding it hard to concentrate knowing that he was _so _close. I could feel it. His nose almost touched mine and I could hear him breathed.

"And what am I?"

An executer! My torturer! The devil who made my life miserable. I could go on and on with what he was to me but I couldn't say it out loud, as if something invisible was holding me back. Was he really like that? Of course he was! Or was I jumping into conclusions?

"I don't know," I replied. And for once, I just told him the truth. I was confused. He gave me this feeling, a feeling I had never felt to someone-left alone a man.

"Do you trust me?" he asked, his voice seemed to melt.

In the dark, I nodded my head...

**Well? REVIEW PLEASE!**

**P.S: I'll edit later...^^**


	13. Part Thirteen: THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

**HELLO PEOPLE! I'm so very very touched when I saw the reviews I got! ^^ It made me so happy that I half listened to my classes because I keep on writing what I want to happen in the story! And guess what? My teachers do not even care! So yey! I have been able to finish chapter thirteen! ^^ Anyway...I hope you'll like it.**

**Disclaimer: No matter how much I want to...I cannot have Sabertooth for Christmas. Santa had just sent me a text message informing me that I had been a bad girl this year..):**

Part Thirteen: THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

Victor leaned closer to me. I wondered what was going on inside his head. Were there so many thoughts flying around his brain just like mine? His breath washed over my face, making my body stiffened. The tip of his nose grazed my forehead, making it burn at the contact. It was cold and it made you think that he had been outside for a while. Then, a terrible thought entered my head. What if he heard everything I said to Nick? I knew it. He was going to laugh at my face for being an idiot again. Darn.

"You're nervous," he said. It was then that I realized that my teeth were chattering and I could feel my knees were already shaking. I felt like I wanted to fall or collapse but his hands were firmly wrapped around my wrists. I was beyond nervous. I was petrified.

He chuckled. "Oh, you're scared."

Finding my voice, I straightened and opened my mouth. "N-no," I croaked, although it didn't sound quite pathetic because my heart was already muffling every sound that everything made.

"You trust me, right?"

I nodded my head again as I looked deep into his eyes. It was all wrong. This wasn't suppose to happen and yet I wanted it to. It was almost as if a part of me already knew that we would be stuck in this situation at one point but my conscience denied that gut feeling. The darkness fell on us like curtains, and it made it hard for me to see him, but it was funny how I knew where to find his eyes. Or should I say, it was funny how he knew where to find my lips.

I felt his finger lingered on my lips and at the touched, my knees felt like jell-o. Just one touch and yet it was already driving me insane. What was he planning? What was he going to do? I had an idea but I was scared that it might really happen. What could happen? I was scared and curious at the same time.

The atmosphere was getting heavier and heavier by the second and I was getting worried that leaving me hanging on the side of the cliff might make me want to explode. His finger had left my lips and was now making a trail from my lips to my neck. The place where Victor's finger touched seemed to burn more than the trails his lips had made. A song entered my head despite the uncomfortable situation I caught myself in. I wanted to laugh out loud for allowing that song to flood inside my head, but I couldn't help it. It happened!

"Come on. Come on. Move a little closer. Come on-"

His hand flew to my mouth, muffling the next lyrics that would soon stumble out of my lips. "What the heck are you doing?" he asked. "You're destroying the mood."

"I-I d-don't know. It just that, it happens whenever I'm nervous," I admitted, shakily after he took his hand off my mouth.

He laughed, and disappointingly, he moved away from me. "You're nervous. You're not scared," he stated, flatly. With one last look straight into my eyes, he went to the couch, and as always, opened the television and watched the news. I didn't know why but I was disappointed. Of course it irked me to admit that I wanted to find out what would happen next if I didn't sing that stupid song. I was probably hating Counting Crows right now if it wasn't for their stupid song. Well, actually...the song was good-really good but right now, I wasn't in the mood to appreciate its greatness. It was because of it that I wouldn't know what was inside Victor's head. It was most unlikely that it would ever happen again.

"Well? Aren't you going to cook my a dinner?" Victor asked, interrupting my train of thoughts.

"Y-yeah," I stuttered and scrambled towards the kitchen where I vigorously started a dinner for him. While I cooked, my thoughts kept on slipping towards Victor. A while ago, he almost seemed human. I thought I saw a side of him where he was vulnerable and at the same time threatening. I was scared of him but not the same as in the past. I was scared in a different way now. In a way that I couldn't explain.

Still stuck in my own little bubble while I was chopping carrots, I accidentally cut myself. I yelped involuntarily as the blood began to flow. I wasn't really scared of blood but it didn't mean that I like it too. I turned on the faucet and let the water ran over it. The blood mingled with water as it swirled on the sink before getting drain down the pipe. Turning the faucet off, I studied my finger and noticed that the cut wasn't really that deep. And now my mind was debating whether I should go search for a band-aid first or just ignore it...

"You cut yourself."

I whirled around, not surprised to hear Victor's voice behind me. Well, duh. I knew that. It wasn't like I was too numb to not feel my finger slit open by a knife. "Y-yes," I said, stammering all over again. I cursed mentally for being so weak in front of him. It seemed like I was still a in a hangover from a while ago. We stared at each other for some time before one of us spoke up. He had the smug smirk on his face again and it gave me a desire to wipe it off his face. I never really got sick of wishing that that would happen. It wasn't entirely too impossible anyway.

Without a word, he grabbed the finger in which I cut myself. I fought the urge to snap at him or shout at him to let go of me. Really. I was still having a hangover. The incident a while ago was still burnt inside my head that the mere thought of him standing in front of me was already giving me a sense of dread. It was funny how a while ago, I was feeling the exact opposite of what I was feeling now.

"I think you should put something to cover it or something. It looks kinda deep," he told me, letting go of my injured finger. I narrowed my eyes on him. Here we were again. In the situation where he would be sweet all of a sudden and then later on he would be a monster and a know-it-all. I sighed.

"It doesn't look too deep to me," I muttered, ignoring his advice to put a band-aid on my small wound. Evidently, he didn't like his orders being ignored. He was watching me so intently again that it felt like he was trying to memorize my every move. It gave me goosebumps but I tried to push it away from my mind. It wouldn't be a good idea thinking about it all the time. I knew that it would just make it worse. Victor had a talent of making something so diminutive be so huge.

"What are you cooking?" he asked, trying to make up a conversation. There was one thing I would say to that. It wasn't working.

"Your dinner," I replied, making my voice even despite the stampede that was occurring in my heart. I was hating his smile. I was hating his presence and I was hating how he could be so tempting at times. Maybe it was only me who would always get wrapped up in his _dark _spell, but it's not like I was the only prey around here.

Walking up behind me, he peered over my shoulders. "Smells delicious," he said.

I rolled my eyes. How could something be delicious if I was only chopping some onions? There wasn't anything that smelled delicious.

He laughed, as if hearing my thoughts. "I meant you."

I scowled at him, unconsciously. I bet someone would do the same thing if a perverted man would tell her that, right? "I don't know what you're thinking, but cut it out," I snapped at him. The anger was momentarily overshadowing the nervousness that I was feeling. There was a dull thudding reverberating inside my ears.

Again, he chuckled. "Just saying."

I glowered at him again and this time, he backed off and went back to the couch. I sighed. When would this ever end?

**:**

The next day, I was happy to report that I had put up a very good performance in my class. A certain proud and relief feeling were tingling all over me. I could feel it rushing along my veins. It felt like nothing wrong would happen today. Or so I thought.

"Good morning."

I looked up and saw Nick standing in front of me with a warm smile on his face.

"Good morning," I greeted back, although the enthusiasm that once ago bubbled inside me now vanished. Looking at Nick, Victor's face kept on popping out of nowhere in the vast sea of my consciousness. "I-I better go," I told him, picking up my things and started walking away.

_What"s Nick to you?_

The question kept on echoing inside my head. What was him to me? The question bothered me so much because I didn't know my answer. I never really thought about it, simply because I was even avoiding the subject myself. It seemed like I never really wanted to find out.

"Wait up!" Nick shouted, as he ran after me.

"What do you want?" I asked, trying hard not to sound too impatient or rude. It wasn't his fault that Victor was already getting into my nerves.

"Do you want to grab lunch somewhere?" he asked, hopefully.

This was the moment of truth. Should I say yes or should I just turn his offer down as politely as I could? I sneaked a look on his face. How could I turn him down? Look at him! He was like a puppy begging for a stranger to take him home. It reminded me a little of Odel...Okay fine. He reminded me a lot about Odel. Odel was a sweet kid. Sure, he might be a little hopeless and thick-headed but that was the reason why he was slightly irresistable.

"Fine," I said, defeated.

It was broad daylight. Nothing usually happened whenever it was this time of the day. Usually, Victor would come to terrorize my life during the afternoon, as well as during the night. It seemed like he was too busy during the day. Or maybe, he was just nocturnal.

"Great," Nick said, happily.

Great...that word was an understatement.

**:**

Nick brought me to a fastfood chain since it was the only one nearest to our school (except for the cafe in which I worked). He was very cheerful as we talked about minor things like school, family and stuffs. And I had to admit, it took my mind off the thing that had happened last night. As long as he avoided the subject of my _cousin_ (a.k.a. Victor Creed), everything was going very well. We were seated beside the glass windows where we had a perfect view of the people passing by. It was funny how people never really seemed to mind others staring at them. Everyone seemed to busy to even look back.

"Hey, Elijah. Do you know that guy?" Nick suddenly asked, as he pointed at a small stocky guy seated two tables behind us. He had a weird hairstyle and the look on his face shouted that he wasn't the guy to mess with. I blinked, letting the image processed inside my head.

"No," I said, hastily, averting my gaze from him. My heart was starting to pump blood as fast as it could. That was one of my stalker.

Nick cocked his head on one side. "It's funny how he keeps on glaring at us," he said, light-heartedly.

I wanted to tell him that the guy was really glaring at us. He always did!

"I think we should go now," I told Nick, briskly. Standing up and ignoring my half-eaten fries, I started to head out of the place.

"W-wait!" Nick said, following me. He rammed the rest of his burger in his mouth and dashed off. The guy kept on his gaze on us as we left the place. It was creepy because he reminded me a little bit of Victor. Yup. There was a little hint of likeness in the way they looked. Both of them looked like they were the predators.

"What's wrong?" Nick asked, concerned as we got out of there.

"Nothing," I snapped at him. Somehow, I find myself pitying at Nick who had no idea of the world I was living in right now. He might find it weird that I was being quite bi-polar. It was unfair for it wasn't his fault that I was pouring out my frustration on him. He was the one who was trying to be the good guy here. And honestly, he was like my only fixed object which I could hang on to for the sake of sanity. He looked quite taken aback at the tone of my voice. "Sorry," I said, quickly. "It's just that there's a lot of things inside my head, right now."

He gave me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I understand. Your job might be quite tiring. And you still have to study hard ."

I almost sighed in relief to find out that Nick was still the understanding and sympathetic Nick I had known. "Thanks," I told him.

"You're always welcome. Anyway, I had a really great time. I hope we can do this again." he told me.

I nodded my head. I really needed a _normal _and _average _time to be human again and that meant having to hang out with Nick. "Sure."

With one final grin, he dashed off. I found myself dreading his departure because that almost meant that I was alone and unprotected again. Victor always found ways to corner me whenever I was alone. Plus, the stalkers weren't helping too much. I looked back at the fastfood chain where we ate and realized that the guy was already gone. Good...

"Hey kid."

I whipped around and my mouth dropped open. The stocky man a while ago was standing right behind me. He was leaning against the wall and (as always) chewing on cheap cigars. I blinked. This was the first time I heard him talk, and it astounded me to find him talking because I always convinced myself that he didn't even know how to talk.

"I think we have to talk, kid," he said, taking a step towards me.

Ha! That was the lamest thing that a stalker should say! Of course I wouldn't let him get near him. I was too smart to fool myself. Without second thoughts, I bolted for a run. I didn't know where, as long as I could get away from him. I heard him curse behind me and when I looked back, he was still standing on the same spot. That was a good sign. That meant he didn't want to run after me. But I wasn't going to take any chances. I didn't stop. I kept on running...

**Well? Sorry if the chapter sucks. Couldn't concentrate because exams are coming up and I have to study. Anyway, I hope you like it! Please REVIEW!**

**P.S: I noticed, while reading the previous chapter, that instead of typing "Victor" I wrote "Liev". Lol. Just sharing because no one seems to notice it. ^^**

**P.P.S: Current song on my playlist: thanks for the memories by fall out boys (that's where I got the chapter title...)**

**P.P.P.S: I'll edit later...**


	14. Part Fourteen: MAY I

**Hello people of Earth! I'm bored but i still have a lot of things to do...even though Christmas is near, school still has found ways to torture us very slowly by taking our freedom away from us...Anyway, I would like to thank all those who reviewed and put the story in their favorites and alerts...and i'm very very very sorry because this was the only time I had thanked all those who put their effort in reviewing my story...and i'm also sorry if it took so long to update...ANYWAY...please enjoy...^^**

**Disclaimer: Victor Creed is not mine nor any of the x-men characters that might appear ou****t of nowhere...although Liev's heart will be mine...or...it's the other way around! ^^**

Part Fourteen: MAY I

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Boy...Confucius wasn't wrong when he said that. And now I was regretting why I had taken that single step. I felt like I had been running for a thousand miles already. My sides burned and my heart was complaining at the stress I had forced on it. Surely, the guy must have lost track of me already. Slowing down, I turned to a deserted corner, forgetting that bad things usually happened whenever a woman, like me, would hide at a dark corner. What could I say? My brain was getting a little fuzzy from running.

"Are you done running now?"

I whipped around and my breath caught up with my throat as my eyes landed on that stocky man. His voice was low and rough, which was a little Victor-ish, but I realized that Victor's was much smoother than his and Victor's voice reminded me a little of reverse psychology-almost like a seduction instead of a threat. It depended on his mood if ever he was angry or if he was not in a good mood. Victor had ways to manipulate people to get what he wanted and then he would later on dispose of them. I shuddered at the thought, but nevertheless, I tried to muster a determined look. This was not the time to think about Victor or even about what Victor would do to me after he got tired of playing games with me. A new problem had arrived and it was now right in front of my face.

"No," I snapped at the guy. Although I wanted to find out what he wanted and what was his name, I ran again. It was funny how despite of the soreness in my legs, I still had the will to run. I ran deeper in the strange and unfamiliar corner that I was passing through. Usually in the movies, the protagonist would always end up in a dead end and they would always have a way to get pass that wall. I hoped I wasn't the protagonist in this movie because I certainly believed that I was never a lucky person.

Thankfully, at the end of the corner, it wasn't a wall or fence. I never knew when I ever felt relieved to see Victor with his usual smug smirk. He was leaning against the blackened brick wall, looking bored as he watched me running to him with an interested leer. "What took you so long?" he sneered.

I halted in front of him, panting. "I-I..."

"Oh, you brought a guest," Victor mused as he saw the stocky man who I would name as The-Creepy-Stalker-Guy-Who-Hates-The-World. I opened my mouth to say something, but Victor pulled me safely behind him. His feet were both planted firmly on the ground. His back went tensed and rigid as he waited for The-Creepy-Stalker-Guy-Who-Hates-The-World to come closer. Peering from behind him, I saw The-Creepy-Stalker-Guy-Who-Hates-The-World looking angry and wary at the same time. I blinked twice. The-Creepy-Stalker-Guy-Who-Hates-The-World didn't seem afraid of Victor. Instead, there was a look of anticipation...in a rather bad way.

"About time," The-Creepy-Stalker-Guy-Who-Hates-The-World growled as he spread his arms, his fists were raised in the air. My eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when three sharp and deadly blades popped out of his right knuckles...and then his other.

Damn. Those were shiny.

Victor chuckled, as if those shiny blades were just a spectacular display in the museum. "Oh...Shiny," he mocked.

Was it me or did he read my mind?

Without warning, Victor crouched low and started running towards The-Creepy-Stalker-Guy-Who-Hates-The-World. It was funny how I was amused at the way Victor greeted the guy. I meant. If before, even by standing on his two feet he looked like a wolf, it was nothing compared to watching him run like a cat...a _dangerous _cat. He was on his hands and feet. I knew what was coming next and yet I still found myself amazed as I watched these two mutants in a tight clash.

The-Creepy-Stalker-Guy-Who-Hates-The-World swung his fist, hoping to hit Victor square on the chest, but Victor was quick enough to tackle him. Both the two guys rolled on the dirty and muddy concrete. Victor was now on top of The-Creepy-Stalker-Guy-Who-Hates-The-World. His clawed hands were raised high and with two quick swipes, he cut through the man's skin on his chest, tearing his white shirt and leaving holes on his black leather jacket.

"That was my best shirt," The-Creepy-Stalker-Guy-Who-Hates-The-World said, angrily.

"Oops. My bad," Victor sneered. In a blink of an eye, The-Creepy-Stalker-Guy-Who-Hates-The-World was on top of Victor. His shirt was ripped, showing wounds he obtained from Victor's swipes. It didn't look too good. Blood oozed out from it, but as I got a good look on it, his skin seemed to be knitting itself. With the blades on his knuckles, he stabbed Victor on his sides. I could see that Victor was getting red in the face as he tried to suppress a howl of pain.

"VICTOR!" I shouted, not realizing that it was my own voice that reverberated. I was trembling head to toe as I watched the two men violently tried to cut each other's head off.

Upon hearing my voice, Victor pushed stood up, pushing The-Creepy-Stalker-Guy-Who-Hates-The-World, sending him flying across the other side. He hit his back on the brick wall and I heard a loud thud coming from him. I swore that he must have broken a rib or two at the impact.

The usual clean, black coat of Victor was now wet with blood, but as he turned around to face me, he showed me his signature smirk and winked. After that, he turned his attention back to The-Creepy-Stalker-Guy-Who-Hates-The-World and set out for the kill.

That idiotic, stupid moron! After making me worry like hell here, he was just going to smile at me and wink?

Without warning, I felt a hand on my shoulders and I screamed a little when another hand crept to my arm.

"Shh...I'm not gonna hurt you."

I continued to scream. Really people! How could I believe a person who would just sneak up at me from behind and then tell me that he wasn't going to hurt me?

"I'm going to take you out of here and bring you somewhere safe, okay?" the guy whispered. His hand was instantly on my mouth before I could even say anything else. I struggled to get out of his grasp, but it was hard. It was then that I noticed that he was wearing shades...a really weird one too. His face looked familiar and somehow, it gave me a feeling that I had seen him before...

Of course. He was one of my fans...

Without warning, I felt a searing pain at the back of my neck and the next thing I knew, everything went black.

**:**

"Is she okay? I think you touched her for too long."

"Ah didn't! Ah just touched 'er for a second!"

"Well, how come she isn't waking up? It's been three hours now."

"Does it look like Ah know?"

The voices were echoing somewhere inside my head. But after a few minutes of silence, I realized that the noise weren't coming from my head. It was coming from outside...or somewhere near me. There were two girls talking in a not so low voices. One had a southern accent and the other sounded like...a teenager who did nothing but be a teenager.

"I think she's waking up now," the teenager said.

It was true. The _she _they were talking about was me, and I was pretty much aware that they were talking about me for a while now. As I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see a girl with brown hair looking down on me and just beside her was the other _fan _I had. It was the girl with auburn hair, with white highlights that framed her pale, delicate face. I blinked twice trying to let the image sink in my exhausted brain. I was almost half-hoping that they would just disappear and I would wake up in my apartment and on my bed. I wondered if it wasn't that too hard to ask.

"Hello there!" the brunette said, cheerfully.

As if her bell-like voice woke me up, I sat up and looked wildly around, trying to see if I even know where I was. Nope. I had no clue or whatsoever. The room was huge and I hadn't seen it or even dreamed of it.

"WHO ARE YOU?" I yelled at them, instantly jumping on my feet.

The two girls watched me. The cheerful brunette who greeted me gazed at me with interest, while the other one, with the white highlights, didn't look enthusiastic in getting stuck with me. I tried to look suspicious and cautious as I could but it struck me that I was completely hopeless in here. I calculated my chance of escaping. Probably, I would be able to get out of here by breaking through the windows...and then I would definitely hit the ground and all my bones would break in million of pieces...and if ever the police would come and investigate my death, they wouldn't even be able to identify my body.

Certainly not a good idea...

"I'm Kitty Pryde and this is Rogue," the brunette said.

"She already knows me," Rogue snapped at her.

My eyes widened. I remembered it now. Rogue. She introduced herself to me already. It was funny how I could have forgotten her name when it was so different. My gaze shifted from Rogue to Kitty. I could tell that Kitty was a little eager...To what? I didn't know. I cocked my head to one side as I studied her heart-shaped face. They didn't look harmful. In fact, they looked like a bunch of teenagers. High school kids, I thought to myself. Rogue, who at first I thought had the same age as me, now looked two years younger than me as she sat on the bed beside where I sat.

"I think we should tell them that she's awake," Rogue stated, breaking the silence that slipped passed us.

I blinked. Who them?

"Sure," Kitty said, standing up and heading for the door. I watched her go, having a feeling that letting _them _know that I was awake wasn't going to be a pretty sight. Now that I thought of it, the memory of how I got here was still a little blurry. I couldn't remember how I ended up in here. The only thing I remembered was Victor winking at me and that made me so mad that I wanted to blow up. Before and after that was a little too vague to recall.

"Are you feeling alright?" Rogue asked, looking at me.

I nodded my head. It didn't make me too comfortable to think that a girl younger than me would ask that question to me. Really. It wasn't a good thought. It made me feel like they had control on me. I hated that.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"You're in Professor's Xavier's mansion," she replied.

At last! A person finally had answered a question of mine in a form of a statement instead of another question. Thank goodness.

"Oh," I said, not stopping myself from smiling. But then, it soon faded when the name struck me. Xavier sounded familiar. Where did I hear it? From the television, particularly the news perhaps? I wasn't so sure. The only thing I knew was that I still had no idea where I was.

"I think it's best if you don't show yourself to her yet, Logan. The fight between you and Saber-"

"Just let me in, woman," a stocky man with a weird hairstyle growled as he pushed passed a dark-skinned woman with ridiculously white hair, despite of her young age. My eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as my eyes fell on The-Creepy-Stalker-Guy-Who-Hates-The-World walking towards me. Instinctively, I jumped out of the bed and stepped away from him, trying the best as I could to get as much space between us as I could.

"I know that we met each other at the wrong foot but it isn't the time to make a small and _nice _introduction, okay kid?" The-Creepy-Stalker-Guy-Who-Hates-The-World said.

"OH GOD YOU TALKED!" I blurted out. I wanted to bang my head on the wall again for saying such a stupid statement but prevented myself to do so.

Kitty appeared at the doorway. Her eyes were wide. "Sorry about that one, Storm. I didn't know that Logan would hear us," she said, repeatedly to the white-haired woman.

Storm, or so Kitty called her, just shook her head. "Logan, just get out for a moment and let me do the talking."

"No," he snapped at her. His eyes were still on me and he looked threatening as he stood firmly in front of me. "I have one question for you and I want an answer."

I gulped. What the heck? I had faced a much more frightening person than him! Why should I be peeing on my pants right now? "Sure."

"What the heck did Victor want from you?" he asked. Even though he wanted to sound as calm as he could, there was a slight hint of annoyance and impatience in his tone. I only stared at him. I didn't have an answer to that question...and I was honestly hoping that they had the answer.

"I don't know," I murmured, afraid that he might actually cut my throat off for not knowing the answer. The memory of seeing him running towards me with three metal blades sticking out of his knuckles rushed back to me. That was a traumatizing scene.

At first, I thought that he was going to throw me out of the room, but instead, his tension lessened and he let out a sigh...a frustrated one. It was evident at how badly he wanted to find the answer to his question-to _our _question. I knew how he felt. I wanted to find out too. But Victor's answers usually ended up with more questions. The stupidity of moronic people...

The-Creepy-Stalker-Guy-Who-Hates-The-World turned his back on me and started leaving the room. He was disappointed, and he was very good at showing it. I gaped at him as I watched him go. He reminded me vaguely of Victor, but he was a lot tamer than Victor.

"Sorry about that one. He's always like that...Logan," Storm told me.

Go figures.

"I'm Ororo Munroe, but you can call me Storm," she told me. She had a very serene and warm smile that she reminded me a little bit of Ollie-or should I say Mrs. Newton? Her shocking white hair made me think that she was old even though she looked completely young and few a years older than I.

Before I could even say my name, she beat me to it. "And you're Elijah Harpern, right?"

"Halpern," I corrected.

"Oh."

There was an uncomfortable silence-the type of silence when someone said the wrong name and was deeply embarrassed by it. "Well. You might be hungry," Storm offered, still smiling. Almost forgetting the two younger girls, Kitty almost screamed when something blue and _peculiar _came out of nowhere bringing with it a purple shroud of mist.

"Hey!" the thing said as it-he looked up at me. He had a sheepish look on his face and I just gaped at him.

"WHAT THE-"

Rogue rolled her eyes.

Storm shot the thing-guy a warning look while Kitty looked extremely pissed at him.

OHMYGAWD! I was in a house, let alone a mansion, full of mutants! Xavier's mansion. XAVIER! The bald guy in the wheelchair! The guy who went to press conference or something to fight for mutants' rights! The...the...

"Are you okay?" Storm asked me as she looked at me with concern.

Of course I didn't have a thing to mutants. I didn't hate them or despise them. They were just like normal people...with powers...which weren't so normal anymore...

"May I go to the bathroom," I croaked. I sounded pathetic. THE BATHROOM? That was so first grader-ish.

"Sure..." Before I would even wait for Storm to tell me where the bathroom was, I trudged out of the room, trying not to be too obvious that I was avoiding the blue-guy. He was watching me with a huge smile on his face. His white teeth looked too shiny on his blue skin. I didn't know why but I just felt sick. I had met a mutant already, so what was happening to me? I shouldn't be too...what was the word I was looking for?

Judgemental?

No.

Irritated?

A bigger no.

Disgusted?

NO.

What was I feeling then?

Just as I reached the door, I started spilling all the contents inside my stomach. It was embarrassing, especially since a lot of people saw me. After pouring out vomit all over the carpeted floor of the mansion, the first words I said was:

"May I go to the bathroom..."

Yeah. Stupid isn't it?

**Well? Sorry if it sucks...and if it took so long...and if it was a little confusing. I was never really good at writing violence...really...T_T...Anyway, please REVIEW! ^^**


	15. Part Fifteen: WHATAYA WANT FROM ME

**I hate this day. I REALLY MEAN IT! I lost my wallet with my whole saving in it. I mean...SOMEONE STOLE IT! ARGH! I wish I was a telepath. If ever I was, then i could retrieve my money back. DARN DARN DARN DARN. I'm so bummed out that i'm afraid that this chapter might suck...anyway...please enjoy...even though I'm not happy...at all...**

**Disclaimer: Yeah yeah. They're not mine. AND MY WALLET IS NOT THEIRS TOO! (yes, i have a list of suspects...)**

Part Fifteen: WHATAYA WANT FROM ME

Once my mom told me that the best thing you do when you had a bad dream was to think of a happy thought. As I sat on a comfortable armchair, in the middle of odd looking people, my mind fumbled to grasp a happy thought. As hard as I could, I raked for a happy thought that would be able to push out the unwanted thought of being surrounded by people who could kill me without even meaning to. I was scared. I encountered one mutant, and it wasn't such a good experience. Meeting a bunch of them? Well, let's see what could happen.

I stared at everyone across the room. All of them were looking back at me as if it was the first time they had seen a live human being. I was trying hard not to imagine them with a bib around the necks with a knife and a fork in hand. Unconsciously, I shuddered as the image came to me. NO WAY. I WILL NOT BE A RACIST! My mind screamed at the terrible image that darkened my thoughts. My mom told me that everyone was different so we had no right to disrespect those differences.

They gaped at me as I gaped back at them in return. Who wouldn't anyway? I was in a room full of peculiar looking people. They didn't look so normal anymore. The blue, furry guy, whose name, I discovered, was Kurt. He had been sitting on the sofa in a very unusual stance. He was sitting on his heels but he was on top of the sofa...so...was he sitting on the sofa?

Moving on...

Storm was standing beside Rogue and Kitty. Her ridiculous white hair looked too bright as she stood in the dark room. All the curtains were drawn, preventing the light enter the room. She was the only one who was actually smiling inside the room. Even Kitty, the cheerful girl, wasn't smiling anymore. What could I say? It was because of me she and Rogue had to clean the carpeted floor no matter how much I volunteered to do it.

There was also a man with brown hair. He didn't have tail like Kurt nor did he had a weird skin color. He looked perfectly normal, except for the fact that he was wearing heavily tinted glasses and he reminded me a little bit of the Terminator with the way he moved, especially because of his sunglasses. It made me want to yank it off him, but something told me that it wasn't a good idea.

The-Creepy-Stalker-Guy-Who-Hates-The-World, or also known as Logan, was standing at the very back of the room and he was glaring at me, as usual. He had his arms crossed over his chest and he was leaning casually on the wall, but there was an impatient atmosphere around him, as if he just couldn't wait to get something he wanted.

No one talked, each of them were stuck in their own thoughts. It was quiet inside the room, except for Kitty's whistling which annoyed the heck out of me. Nevertheless, I sucked it all up. She was the one who cleaned my puke anyway so I owe her a lot. Everyone looked a little tensed, as if I was about to pounce at them or run out of the mansion, screaming: "MUTANTS ARE LOOKING AT ME!". I swore. That was the last thing that I would think of doing.

The door opened and a bald guy in a wheelchair entered the room. He had a kind and gentle look on his face and there was nothing scary or threatening about him. In fact, as soon as he entered the room, the heavy atmosphere had been lifted. He wheeled in behind an antique desk which I was facing. He was followed by a beautiful woman with flaming red hair. There was something familiar about her. Was she one of the women I caught stalking me somewhere?

_Good morning, Elijah, _a voice echoed inside my head.

If you were wondering if I had freaked out, of course I did! It was impossible not to. It wasn't everyday you would hear a voice inside your head. Well, an exception to your own voice, but...it wasn't my voice I heard a while ago! It came from someone else, but I heard it inside my head.

Without realizing it, I had jumped out of my seat and was now gaping at the old man. Was it him?

_Do not be afraid..._

Yeah right. Easy for him to say that.

"Yes. You're correct. It is easy for me to say that because I, myself, is doing it," the old man finally spoken...aloud.

Even though I knew that it was him in the first place, I couldn't help but squeak. Embarrassing enough. Yes, I squeak-like a mouse. Stupid me.

He chuckled...HE CHUCKLED!

"I don't mean to be rude," he told me. "Please sit down."

Cautiously, as if he might actually eat me if I so much blink an eye, I sat down keeping my eyes on him. Again, it was embarrassing to be scared of a bald, old man on a wheelchair. Again. Could this day get any more stupider?

"I am sincerely sorry for rudely dragging you in here, but I cannot think of any other way to get you to come here," he said.

I looked at him suspiciously. At first glance, he may looked like he was a kind and caring man who would actually care, but after meeting Victor, I guess I grew a little more careful. "Maybe you can convince me to come here if you will introduce yourself to me," I said, coldly.

The old man smiled. I wasn't making a joke. I was dead serious, but I couldn't help but be amuse at his reaction. It seemed like he was taking it, coolly.

"Again, I apologize for my rudeness," he said. "I am Charles Xavier."

"Yeah, I've heard," I grumbled, finally relaxing just a little. Nothing could ever make me feel a little better than knowing who I was up against. Even though I looked a little disinterested, the wheels inside my head were running as I tried to come up with a plan to get out of this place. But I guess that even if I did, they would continue following me. Subconsciously, I sighed. there was no way I could escape this. I just had to face the music now. At the back of my mind, I found myself wishing that Victor was here. Was I missing the huge, scary guy?

Nah.

"Ah, you're thinking about Victor," Xavier mused.

What the...I felt my cheeks getting redder as I found myself embarrassed. Did he actually read my thoughts?

_Indeed. I just read your thoughts, _Xavier said.

My eyes widened. He could read minds and he could communicate through the minds. That was so cool! But before I could even continue finding his ability _cool, _I was too busy trying hard not to think of Victor. Those thoughts were private.

_Again, I am very sorry, _Xavier said.

I didn't know if I still couldn't get over the fact that he could read minds and communicate through it, or I was getting a little annoyed at him for apologizing all the time. It seemed like it had been a thousand years ever since I last heard that word. Did Victor ever said sorry to me? I couldn't remember...

"Can I speak to Ms. Halpern alone?" Xavier asked, addressing to the audience who were silently watching and listening to our conversation. It seemed like for a minute I had forgotten that they had even existed.

Everyone started filing out of the room, except for The-Creepy-Man-Who-Hates-The-World, I meant, Logan, who didn't show any signs of moving out of the room. Xavier gave him a hard look, but he still did not budge. Again, the irking feeling of familiarity to the way Logan acted stirred inside me. He really reminded me of Victor, only he was a little more tamer and less sadistic.

"I want to hear it," he said, gruffly.

Again, he sounded like Victor.

"But I'm afraid Elijah might not be too comfortable to talk if someone will be with us," Xavier said, looking directly at Logan's eyes. I was starting to like the old guy. He knew what I was thinking and he was very very considerate.

Logan scowled at him and Xavier's gaze didn't waver. Their gazes were so intense that I was expecting that one of them would start melting. I cocked my head to one side as I watched the two men as they had their eye contest. No one dared to blink for a minute, but after that, Logan finally crumbled.

"Fine," he snapped and he stormed out the room. I let out a sigh of relief. It was as if a thorn had just been plucked off me. I could finally breathe easily and loosely.

"Now..."

Before I could even let Xavier start, my mouth started off without my brain. "What do you want from me? If you want my money, you can have it. If you want information, I'm sorry but the only thing I know is my name, my address, my birthday and my age. If you want food, I know how to cook. If you want my body, then I'm afraid you have to fight me!" I blurted out.

Way to go Elijah. You're getting dumber and dumber.

We fell silent for a moment. I could tell that we were both shocked, but I was more surprised than he was. I wasn't expecting me to say all those. I wished I could just melt or just pop out of nowhere. First, I puked in front of a crowd of teenagers, kids and other people. And then, after puking I asked if I could go to the bathroom. Talk about rubbing salt on the wounds. And now I'm assuming that the old guy would actually...you know...uh...yeah...that.

Xavier cleared his throat. Obviously caught off guard by my blarney. "Actually, we want nothing from you but we want something for you."

"Huh?"

Wheeling out from behind the desk, he turned his back on me and faced the window. Yeah I know, it was too cliche, but I was too intrigued to even pay attention to it.

"We want to offer sanctuary," Xavier went on.

"I have my own apartment," I told him, but then, shook my head, realizing what I just said. "I mean, what sanctuary are you talking about?"

The smile found its way back to his face. "A sanctuary. A place where you can find safety and a sense of security." He walked - wheeled back behind the desk. "We have discovered that Victor Creed had been invading your house for the passed months."

"Well, not actually invading. More likely, he's _visiting _my house every single night," I said, sarcastically. But it was funny how I found myself coming up of a way to defend Victor's side. It seemed like he had grown on me already. Now that I thought of it, Victor was like a puppy. He's naughty and stubborn like puppies. He goes around destroying stuff if he doesn't get what he wants, but still, there's still a vulnerable side that he seldom shows. And I wanted to find that side.

Haha. Puppy Victor.

"We're offering you a residence in this mansion, for your safety. In here, Victor won't touch you."

My eyes widened. Me? Stay here? B-but...I wasn't even a mutant! And, I was perfectly fine alone. And anyway, Victor would kill me if I would ditch him. He told me that himself!

Xavier frowned. "But it seems like you don't want to." He tilted his head to one side. "I wonder why is that."

Pfft. He was pretending not to know why. Of course he knew. He could read my mind!

"Yes, Elijah, I can read your mind, but you, yourself, cannot understand yours so how can I understand what I'm reading?" Xavier said, gravely.

I blinked. The guy had a point.

He sighed. "Victor Creed is a dangerous man. He is so dangerous that sometimes I find myself doubting if he is even human. A monster might fit him, but no. I think there is a more humane side in him that he doesn't show. Maybe a little push here and there can bring his humanity out." He paused and looked deeply into my eyes. I felt like every drop of my soul left my body and found its way to Xavier's eyes. "And I think you're the best candidate for finding out where his humanity went."

I found myself holding my breath as his eyes roamed mine. "What?"

He smiled and tore his eyes from mine. "There's something about you that tells me that no matter how hard I will force you to stay here, you won't."

Yup. He definitely could read minds.

"So, I'm letting you go back."

That easy?

"But..."

I knew it.

"There's this one little favor I'm going to ask from you," Xavier said. His smile didn't leave his face. I hoped his favor wasn't too hard to do.

"Don't worry, it isn't too hard," he reassured, reading my mind. And yes, there was no 'as if'.

I bit my lower lip. "What?"

"I want us to keep in touch and tell me the progress you're making with Victor Creed," he stated.

Progress? What progress? With Victor?

He nodded his head. "I want you to bring him back to the right side."

"Why me?" I asked, shakily. I was having goosebumps even though I wasn't hearing his reason yet. Why me? I was just a normal woman. I wasn't a mutant and I was invisible. No one knew me and I wasn't rich-but I wasn't too poor either. I was just in between. What could I possibly do to bring a monster back to humanity?

Xavier smiled at me. "Don't worry. I'm sure that you can get through it. You're a strong woman, Elijah. You just don't know that."

Yeah right. People usually say that if ever they wanted something from you.

"Well then, I think we should bring you back to your home," he said.

I shot up from my sit. "That fast?" I asked, surprised at how fast and frank our conversation was. I didn't get some answers, and so did they. But I had questions and yet our conversation was clear. His task for me was also clear. There was nothing left out. But...could I do it?

We were now walking towards the door, (and of course he was on his wheelchair). Before he could reach out to the doorknob, I turned to face him. "How would I know if this is the good side?" I asked, suspiciously. I couldn't help but be a little too cautious. Sue me.

"Trust me, this is," Xavier said, and then, he turned the doorknob and led me out of the room (which I just realized to be his office). "Good day. Logan will come and drive you back to your home shortly. I already called him and asked him to bring you back. He seems pleased," Xavier told me.

Pleased? That guy? Yeah right.

He raised an eyebrow. "Is there anything wrong?"

"No. Nothing is wrong..." Except for the fact that I have to endure being in the midst of a guy who glares and be angry at everything.

"Well then, I wish you well," Xavier said.

Yeah. I hoped too.

And that conversation was instantly terminated as soon as Logan came and without a word, led me out of the mansion. The journey back home wasn't uneventful. Logan just made it a point to ignore me and not talk. He kept his eyes on the road, and I wondered why Xavier asked him to drive me home instead of the other guy with the sunglasses. He looked a lot friendlier than Logan.

"What are you looking at, kid?" he snapped at me.

"Nothing," I lied. In fact, I was gaping at his really weird hairstyle. I wondered what he did with his hair. Nevertheless, I tried hard not to voice out the question. The car stopped in front of my apartment building. "Well, this is my stop," I declared.

Logan didn't say anything and completely ignored me.

As I started to get out of the car, Logan finally turned and faced me. "Be careful. I don't know what Charlie's up to but I don't like a bit of it. Sabertooth's got a lot under his sleeve. Don't believe a single word he says."

So far. That was the longest sentence he had ever said to me instead of his constant grumbling. "Uh. Sure. Yeah. I'll be careful," I said, pathetically.

He didn't look entirely convinced. But after that, he sped off.

I watched the red convertible as it tore the streets. Logan was an odd guy. There was more to him than meets the eyes. A lot like Victor.

When the car wasn't visible anymore, I dragged my body towards the building and went up to my apartment. The lights were closed, but I had a feeling that I wasn't going to like what was behind the door. I could just picture Victor lounging on my couch with a bored expression and he would start scolding me for going home late. I sighed as I remembered what Xavier had told me. How were we going to get in touch? I shook my head as I tried to clear my mind.

As soon as I opened the door, something swept me off my feet and pinned me down on the couch. It was so fast that I didn't have time to blink. The famous Victor Creed was on top of me as I lied down on the couch. He was holding my wrist above my head and he had a very angry look on his face. My heart was beating so fast as I tried to recover from the shock.

"What the hell was that for?" I shouted. What he did scared the hell out of me.

"What did they want?" he asked, through gritted teeth.

"Nothing," I chided. "Get off me." I tried to get him off me but I knew that I was only kidding myself.

"I don't believe you," he spat. He kept me still as his weight seemed to crushed me.

"Victor, you're too heavy," I panted.

Victor growled. Since he was too close, I could feel his throat vibrate. "What did they want from you?"

"They want nothing, now get off me!" I yelled at him. The lie was getting easier to say.

He was frustrated. I could see that. He was used to getting everything he wanted, but he couldn't get it from me. I was driving him to the wall. I could see that. For a moment, I was frightened. There was a fire burning in his eyes. But after that, a part of me convince me that he wouldn't dare hurt me one way or another. I didn't know where that confidence was coming from, but nevertheless, I held on to it.

"Why can't you just be a little more obedient?" he asked.

I froze. His expression softened and the tone of his voice changed drastically from angry to a low, tired tone.

"Huh?" I asked, dumbly. That was the first word that I came up with.

A moment of silence passed. It seemed like I had forgotten that he was still on top of me because at that moment, I was lost in his deep blue-gray eyes. I was stuck in one of those moments with him when I would forget that he was Victor Creed (or Sabertooth as they called him), but instead, I would know him to be Victor, I guy who was desperate to be understood.

"Kiss me," he said.

My eyes widened. "Wha-"

He cut me off as his lips crashed on mine. My heart stopped beating and I found myself smoldering under his touch. His grasp loosened and I found myself turning jelly as he continued to kiss me. Without realizing it, I closed my eyes and let this feeling of bliss and ecstasy cover me. My hands itching to run through his hair, but his hands were still wrapped around my wrists. I didn't know how long it last, but my heart fell when he broke away. But I dared not to open my eyes. I was embarrassed and I didn't know why. Honestly, this was my first time I kissed someone in my whole life. You could laugh at me but that couldn't change the fact that this was my first kiss.

And kissing a villain wasn't what I had imagined my first kiss would be...

**So... PLEASE REVIEW!**


	16. Part Sixteen: WELCOME HOME

**Now...I've finally had a move on with my poor wallet. (and yes, GhostAuthor, I think gambit stole my wallet...O_O) and I'm so so so so sorry for taking so long to update. You can honestly kill me now...Dx. By the way, I was thinking, while I was recovering from my loss, maybe i should put a little romy in my story...BECAUSE I REALLY LOVE THAT PAIRING! Anyways..I have nothing more to say anymore...so please enjoy! ^^**

**Disclaimer: The x-men people aren't mine...sabertooth is not mine...Santa Claus had forgotten me this Christmas...I'm going to cry...D:**

Part Sixteen: WELCOME HOME

_Kiss me..._

I shuddered, unconsciously as I heard his voice again inside my head..._HIS VOICE. _It was driving me insane. Of course I knew that after that kiss, nothing would be the same, and I was expecting that our relationship would also change but it was VICTOR CREED we were talking about. Nothing could ever change his mind...because he didn't even have one!

Stupid Victor...

I buried my face on my arms as I leaned on the table in a fastfood restaurant, the same place where Nick had asked me out. Speaking of Nick, I hadn't seen him yet. The whole day, I was searching for him and apologize to him for...Now that I thought of it, I didn't know why I wanted to apologize to him.

"Good morning."

I looked up and my mouth dropped open when I saw a familiar face. It was Rogue! I blinked and instinctively, I jumped off my seat. "What are you doing here?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at her. She looked harmless since she was younger than me, but a mutant would never be harmless if one was just a normal human being.

"Nothing. Can a normal person have a nice lunch in a nice place?" she said, shrugging casually as she slid on the seat across mine. "Please, don't mind me," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to bite."

I raised my eyebrows. She wasn't normal. She was beyond normal. And how would I know if she wasn't going to bite? She had teeth!

Rogue scrutinized my face as I switch from expression to expression. Man, I must had been an open book. Darn...

"You know, not everyone in the X-men are grumpy. That's only Logan, and mind you, he hates Sabertooth with a passion," Rogue told me, assuringly. I cocked my head to one side, not actually getting why she was telling me this.

Oh yeah...That was because I was a tad bit wary towards her. On second thought, it wasn't little. I was very cautious around her. _Very. _

I eyed Rogue suspiciously. If she was just hanging out in a place like this, how come she wasn't bringing any food? Surely, she must not had expected someone taking her orders. It was a fast food chain! No one cared.

"I'm not that hungry," Rogue said, as if reading my mind.

Oh right. As if I was stupid enough to fall for that "I'm-not-hungry" crap. News flash. I AM not a kid anymore!

"No, really. I'm not hungry," Rogue told me. She crossed her arms over her chest.

Fine. If they could read minds, then let them read my mind! That's what they all loved doing anyway. It was some kind of a sport to them.

_Hey everybody! Today, let's learn how to read Elijah's mind! _

I could just picture a television show with a pathetic puppet hosting a stupid children's show. I sighed, inaudibly.I felt like I was inside a game, playing for my life-but the problem was...I wasn't even the player. I was the prize in the game. What made it worse was that, I didn't even know who the players were.

"Okay. Fine. You seem like the type who doesn't want to be left out and I'm sure you're smart enough to not buy anything we say," Rogue said, leaning forward. There was a fierce look on her face as she said this. Her emerald green eyes met mine and I knew, at that instance, that she knew what she was doing.

"Good," I said, relieved that I finally found someone who knew how I felt.

Rogue narrowed her eyes as she chose her words carefully inside her head. "Logan's getting a little bit worried about you," she said, lowering her voice as if these words were for my ears only. I raised an eyebrow, baffled. I didn't know why but I was still finding it hard to take a good grasp at their names. Maybe it was because I had already gave them nicknames that suited them more than their real names. Logan...Logan...Who was that guy again?

"Sabertooth isn't someone you can mess with. I believe that you would be luckier if he finished you off earlier," Rogue said, rather frankly.

I let her words sink in my brain. Somehow, I wasn't surprised when I heard that. "You don't have to tell me twice," I muttered, rolling my eyes. Up until now, I still didn't know what Victor wanted from me. He was a hard man to understand.

"He wants something from you and I think it has something to do with a stupid prophecy," Rogue said, finally catching my attention.

My eyes widened and curiosity swelled up inside me. "Prophecy?" I repeated, leaning forward just a bit.

Rogue nodded her head. "Well, it's not exactly a prophecy because a mutant from the future just warned us about it." She shrugged.

"From the future?" I said, raising an eyebrow. Again, I was finding it hard to believe a word she said.

"I'm serious. His name is Bishop and he's from the future. He is from the future but he always come here to save his time or to warn us," she told me. Her face was grim, making it hard for me to doubt what she had just said. Well, since my life was like hell right now, it wouldn't hurt to pretend that there was something called time travelling.

I tilted my head to one side. "That's interesting. What did he say? Did it have anything to do with me?"

Rogue frowned. "That's what we're not so sure of."

My heart leaped suddenly. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Bishop never mentioned a name but he said that Victor Creed was to have a son with an average girl that will bring about havoc in the future," Rogue said so bluntly that she made it sound so normal and ordinary.

"Oh," I said, not knowing what to say. "That sounds interesting."

An unidentified silence fell between us as she let me take in what she had just said. I waited for her to say something but she didn't. She only watched me and let the information penetrate through my thick skull. "Well?"

Realization hit me hard.

"Y-you think I will be that woman?" I almost shouted as I stood up abruptly. My heart was pounding loudly, making my blood rush to my cheeks.

No. Freaking. Way.

"W-well, we're not so sure. It may be any other girl but Sabertooth has his eyes on you long before you even knew him!" Rogue told me.

"Long before I knew him?" I said, puzzled.

Rogue stopped short, as if she just said something she shouldn't have. That made me the more curious.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, getting a little impatient.

"Uh. I'm not so sure," Rogue said, shrugging. "One thing I know is that Sabertooth has been stalking you for 3 years or even more than that."

Oh really?

My eyes must have almost bulged out of their sockets as Rogue told me that.

"So far, that's what I know. Professor Xavier doesn't like to talk about it," Rogue said, pouting slightly.

That was just so unfair! I was involved in this thing and the only thing that I know was that I will...with Victor...and have a... "NO!" I suddenly cried out, finally having the information process inside my head. If we were to have a child, then that would mean we have to do the act first...

NO!

NO!

NO!

"Calm down," Rogue said, pulling me down to take my seat. I must have been embarrassing for freaking out in the middle of a public eating place. I was panicking or most likely, I was hyperventilating. Again, the memory of the kiss entered my head. Did Victor know?

_"You've got your uses."_

Did he know that I-we might have a child that will destroy the future of the world? Was that why he kept me alive for the passed months?

Now that I think of it, it had almost been a year.

_"You're the key for my redemption."_

No way.

_"You're part of Magneto's plan."_

His smooth voice echoed inside my head as I recalled our passed conversations. All those time when I thought he never gave me a direct answer to my questions, he was already giving me a hint. Anger flooded me as I thought of him. He was using me. I should have known.

Oh wait. I had always known.

"Who's Magneto?" I asked. This was the perfect time to ask questions since Rogue was willing to answer them. I got a haunch that this was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship. Rogue was a likable person and I saw a bit of myself in her. She just wanted to be left alone. I wonder why. Must it because of her mutant powers or because of her past?

Rogue's face hardened as I mention Magneto's name. By the looks of her face, it seemed like whoever this guy wasn't such a nice guy that I was hoping for. I wouldn't want to be a part of a villain's plan. Oh wait...I already was.

"He isn't such a nice man to bump into," she said, darkly.

As I thought of it...

"Tell me why I am not surprise," I said, sarcastically. I took one sip to my _now-cold _coffee and put it down. "I'm going. You coming?" I asked, putting out some money from my wallet to pay the cup of coffee which I barely touched.

"Sure." She stood up after me and started making our way out of the fast food chain. A man with a long brown coat and a black hat that was pulled down to cover his eyes brushed pass us. Even though I couldn't see his eyes, there was a queasy feeling at the pit of my stomach. Was he smirking?

"Hey!" Rogue suddenly exclaimed, whirling around to face that guy in the coat. "Watch where you're going!"

The guy froze on his tracks and turned around to face us. His shoulders were broad and I could tell that he was lean and fit. His eyes were still obscured with his hat. "_Je suis désolé, chere_. My bad," he said with a thick Cajun accent.

Rogue narrowed her eyes on him. I could tell that she also had the queasy feeling I was also having.

"Let's go," I said, tugging at her arm.

Rogue jumped back with the sudden contact. She pulled her arm away from me and I was slightly taken aback with her hostile reaction. Did I do something wrong?

She must have detected my disappointment when her shock expression faded away. "If you love your life, do not touch me," she said. Her voice wasn't cold when she said that. She almost sounded concerned and frightened. That brought me a new wave of questions inside my brain.

The two of us started heading out of the place, trying to get our minds off the peculiar guy we just bumped into as well as the awkward situation I brought ourselves in. But the question still remained inside my head. What's up with her? Why was she so cautious not to touch anybody? The guy merely brushed pass us but it upset her so much.

While we were walking along the streets, I noticed something strange.

"Have you seen my wallet?" I asked, checking my pockets. I didn't bring any bag with me since the only item I never leave at home was my wallet and my cellphone. My heart started pounding painfully against my chest as I realized that my wallet was not in any of my pockets. I was panicking. Half of my savings was inside my wallet!

Rogue look startled at my outburst. Her eyes became wide. "You must have left it a while ago."

A flicker of hope lit inside me but it was only small one. There was at least 1% chance that my wallet was still on the table where we sat.

"You can go ahead. I'll just go back," I told Rogue, not waiting for her reply but I think I heard her say that she was going with me.

When we reached the place where I ate, the table where I sat was already empty. There was no wallet in sight. Again, I started to panic. I went to the counter where an elderly woman worked. "Excuse me, have you seen a wallet on that table a while ago?" I asked, trying to hide the hysteria that was threatening to break free from my voice.

The old woman squinted up at me. Her beady eyes were watery and unfocused as if she couldn't quite see my face. "Huh?"

I repeated my question, this time, I made my voice a little bit louder. My heart was still pounding so fast.

The woman blinked her eyes twice. "Sorry. We don't have a waffle here," she said.

My patience was running out and I was fighting the urge to strangle the old woman. This was a fast food chain! Why in the hell was an old woman placed in the counter?

"I think you didn't leave your wallet," Rogue said, looking out of the window.

I turned my attention to where she was looking at. My eyes fell on the same guy wearing the long coat and hat. His eyes were still not visible under the hat he was wearing. At that instance, I found the reason why I felt so weird around him. He was leaning on a pole and even though I cannot see his eyes, I knew that he was looking straight at us.

"C'mon," Rogue said. "I think he wants to talk to us." She didn't look like she was going to be friendly.

I followed her out of the fast food chain and crossed the street where the Cajun stood. I was half expecting that he would start running away from us, but I was caught off guard when he just stood motionlessly as he waited for us to reach him.

"What took you so long?" he asked, his Cajun accent lacing his voice. His voice was low and the devious smirk on his face made me a bit nervous. Even though I didn't know him, I already knew that he was the type of guy who was hard to catch.

Rogue rolled her eyes. "What do you want, Cajun?" she snapped, venomously at him.

Sure. Let her do the talking. That was the safest thing I could think of.

He chuckled. "Information."

Rogue crossed her arms over her chest and switched her attention from being impatient to disinterest. "What kind of information?"

The Cajun looked up, but the shadows that his hat casted over his face made it hard for me to see his eyes. Somehow, I was intrigued to see what his eyes looked like. It was obvious that he was cautious to hide it.

"But first, give us her wallet first," Rogue said

"Not until you answer my question," he said, playfully earning another deathly glare from Rogue. "What do you know about Magneto?" he asked.

Again, Rogue's face hardened as he mention Magneto's name.

This was interesting. I turned to Rogue and inside my mind I was asking the same question. Who was Magneto?

"Why are you asking?" Rogue asked, hostile.

"I'm the one asking questions here and not you," the Cajun said.

"He's a mutant with the ability to magnetize metal. I can say that he's pretty strong since he knows how to get away from things. In short he's someone you should not mess with," Rogue said. "Oh, and also, he always has Mystique by his side making him capable of getting all the information he wants. Plus, he got a whole bunch of _friends_ who knows how to kick anybody's ass. Happy now?"

The man smile. "_Très_." He then threw my wallet to me and I clumsily caught it. I checked if my money was still there as well as some things I had put inside my wallet. So far, all was there. Nothing seemed to be missing. I let out a sigh of relief. Now I could breathe properly.

"Well then, _au revoir, mon chere_," the guy said, waving his hand dismissively. But before he could even take a step away from us, Rogue still had one last question to ask him.

"What's your name?"

The Cajun paused. He didn't turn around. "Do I owe you money?"

I suppressed a guffaw at his statement. That was a stupid thing to say. What was he? A fugitive or something?

Rogue's scowl never left her face. "No. But I need to know who we're dealing with."

We? Who said that I was dealing with him! I just wanted my wallet back!

He laughed. "Remy LeBeau. But you can call me Gambit." He flashed a smile at Rogue's direction. "And I hope you'll remember that." With that, he left.

Rogue glared at his retreating figure. "Moron," she whispered under her breath.

"Just ignore him," I told her, shrugging. "At least I got my wallet back."

"You're right," she told me. "Well then, where shall we go next?"

**:**

It was Sunday so that meant I had no classes and I had my day off. I had nothing better to do but just wander around and take some time to relax. Unfortunately, I couldn't do such because my mind was still buzzing with so many questions. It felt like my whole head was a beehive full of bees that got irked when they realized that their honey were missing.

"See you around," Rogue said, waving at me before stalking off.

I waved back at her. "Yeah. Thanks a lot for the time," I said, smiling.

Rogue smiled back. It seemed like this was the first time I had seen her smile and it was amazing how it changed her appearance.

"You're always welcome," she told me.

I watched her walk away from me, heading at the opposite direction of where I was going. Even though she was a woman with a few words, I liked her company very much. We were alike in a lot of ways. She just liked to be left alone-just like me. She didn't want to talk about personal thing and so I learned how to stay away from asking her personal questions. After roaming around the streets of New York, I still didn't know what her power was nor was her real name (since Rogue was obviously not a real name).

The sun was already gone from the skies and its harsh, beating light was replaced by the warm, glow of the moon. It was cold but I didn't mind since my legs were just too sore for walking the whole day. I never really liked Sundays because I would always find myself bored and restless. That was the only day where I didn't have anything to do at all. Usually, I would go to the park and just let my mind take me to the past. Or maybe, I would visit the library to read. I didn't have much friends here in the city except for Nick. I couldn't explain why but I just couldn't face him right now after everything that had happened.

I entered my apartment and was surprised to see the lights turned on. Well, I shouldn't be since it was possible that Victor got here first. "Hello?" I said, as I slowly got inside. It was warm inside unlike the merciless weather outside. I was thankful for the heat that radiates from the four walls of my apartment.

No one answered but I was just too tired to even think negatively.

I headed for my bedroom when suddenly, someone roughly pushed me against the wall. A pair of strong, powerful hands covered my waist and pulled my body close to his. My face hit his chiseled chest but he didn't mind at all. I even bet that he liked it very much.

"Welcome home, Eli," Victor purred into my ear.

I was too exhausted to even comment on my new nickname he made up for me. "Can your dinner wait? I'll just lie down for a moment," I told him, yawning. Despite the complacent attitude I was putting up, a stampede was stirring up inside my chest. The closeness. Our bodies pressed together. His face close to mine and his arms wrapped around my waist. I guessed I would never get use to this.

He chuckled, and I could feel the rumble in his chest. The rhythmic thumping in his heart sounded like a lullaby to me. I suddenly remembered the time when I was sick and the same sound lulled me to sleep. I was fighting the urge to bury my face on his chest but I was quickly losing the fight.

"You're cold," Victor whispered to me, as his right hand started tracing a line from my cheek to my lower jaw.

I pushed him away but I was not surprised when he didn't even budge. I think I would get use to that.

"Cut it out, Victor," I said, trying to push his hand away but he didn't even care.

"I know you like it," he said, his voice dropping so dangerously low.

It sounded so good that I felt like melting on the spot.

"Hmm.." I said, realizing that my eyelids were already drooping.

"Don't fight it," he murmured.

He was right. I didn't have to fight it. There was nothing wrong in falling asleep.

"Yeah, that's right. Just let it do its work," he purred.

Work? It? What was he talking about?

Those questions flooded my head but I was just too tired to pry on them any longer.

"You're so warm," I murmured, finally burying my face on his chest. I could smell him and it made me confused. His usual scent changed. Something else was added in his scent. What was it? It smelled familiar but it was still unusual. His hand stroke my hair.

"I'm sorry..."

With those words, everything suddenly went black.

**TA-DAH! ^^ I hoped you like it! Anyways...please REVIEW! ^^**

**Current Playlist: Welcome Home by Coheed and Cambria, Without You by Three Days Grace and Wake Up by Three Days Grace**

**P.S: I'll just edit this later...too tired...=_=**


	17. Part Seventeen: WAKE UP

**I got nothing to say...because I don't even know what to talk about...and all I really want to do is to just write the story...so anyways, please enjoy! ^^**

**Disclaimer: X-men is not mine. Too bad...**

Part Seventeen: WAKE UP

The night was young, and the moon shone brightly on the dark skies. The clouds were too shy to show themselves, but I could still see a hint of them in the night. The wind was harsh and cold and everything was under a soft white sheet of snow. No one was around. It was only me as I walked along the silent streets of New York. All the lights from the buildings were turn on, making the place illuminated. It was so cold and even though I was wearing layers of thick clothing, I still felt like I was about to freeze anytime. My nose felt like icicle as I continued to walk. My face was exposed to the biting, freezing wind. But even though my face was so cold, heat flooded me from the inside.

That was strange...

"Hey there."

I almost jumped at the voice, but I wasn't scared. I was just surprised because I wasn't expecting to hear anyone. When I turned around, a smile tugged the corners of my lips when I saw that it was only Victor. He was hiding at the shadows, making it hard for me to take a good look on him. His dark clothes perfectly blended in the dark. He was the perfect predator.

I was about to say something when in a blink of an eye, he was already standing in front of me. His hand rested on my waist as he looked down on me. He had this huge smile on his face. It wasn't his usual smug smirk- nor was it the smile he always used to show that he was up to something. No. It was different and this time, I was frightened.

_"You better run..."_

**:**

I woke up with a start. The beating of my heart was deafening and I noticed that I was drenched with sweat. It was funny how I was dripping wet from sweat and yet it was freezing. While I tried to calm myself down, I realized that I was in an unfamiliar room. I had didn't have a slightest idea to where I was. It was a huge, empty room which was damp and filled with stacks and stacks of boxes. It seemed like I was in some sort of a warehouse.

I looked down to see what I was lying on and realized it were boxes covered with a very thin blanket. My jacket was placed at my feet and I quickly grabbed for it. Slowly, I wore it and wished that it would warm me. I felt so cold and alone. It was dark and silent inside that it gave me a feeling of isolation.

Where was I?

"Well, well, Sleeping Beauty's awake."

I looked around, frantically, trying to see who just talked. Stepping out from the shadows, the proverbial Victor Creed made himself visible. He had this huge smirk on his face-_his _signature smirk where his eyes would look frighteningly beautiful and his sharp teeth would show.

Just by the sight of him, I remembered my dream as well as how I got here.

"You..." I muttered, my voice was filled with rage. I jumped out of the boxes where I lied a while ago and charged at him.

But this was Victor Creed we were talking about...

I hit him but his feet were firmly planted on the floor. I used my fists to beat him up. Blindly, I punched him at the face, his chest or anywhere I could reach for, but before I could take a third hit, his hands wrapped around my fists and held me in place.

"Feisty," he mused.

I snorted. "You moronic bastard-"

He pushed me roughly against the wall, making me gasped in pain.

Let me count how many times he had done this to me...oh wait, it was too many to count.

"What the hell did you do that for?" I screamed at him.

Yup. I was just so furious that fear was too far from my mind.

He chuckled.

"This is not funny," I hissed.

Victor's eyes fell on mine, giving me the feeling that he was looking straight into my soul. "I had to. They leave me no choice," he replied.

I was about to start shouting incoherence at him but his answer caught me off guard. "What are you talking about?" I asked, my voice still not lowering.

"Shh," he said, his breath washing over my face. He smelled slightly of chewing gum. _Great..._

"Well?" I said, lowering my voice slightly but the glare did not leave my face. I felt like my dignity had been taken away from me. Drugging me and bringing me to a place I knew nothing about were definitely factors that made me feel weak. And I HATE feeling weak. Plus, I had been kidnapped two times in a row. It was enough to break my pride into pieces!

"I'm pretty much sure that you already know what I'm talking about," he told me. His smile grew wider in the process.

My head was a bit too fuzzy to even try to understand what he was talking about. I wasn't in the mood to listen to one of his little riddles. "Just please answer my question," I snapped at him. My head started to throb- an aftermath of being drugged.

I hate him.

"Why would I answer a question when you already know the answer," he snickered, leaning a little bit closer to me.

"Cut that out!" I yelled at him.

An amused expression flickered on Victor's face. "Seems like you finally cracked."

I narrowed my eyes on him. "No I did not."

Victor laughed, sending shivers down my spine. "Oh really?"

I just glared at him. I was definitely not going to crack.

Victor stepped back, finally giving a decent space between us. I could breathe normally now. "Tell me, what did our little friend, Roguey, say?" he said, cocking his head on one side as he scrutinized my face. I hated it whenever he did that. I felt so exposed- almost as if I was standing naked in front of him.

"She gave me a hint to what you want from me," I said, coldly.

"That's good to hear. Saved me from a lot of troubles," he said.

My anger vanished as curiosity settled in. Did he know about it? Did he know that I could possibly be the mother of the person who will cause chaos in the world? "Do you know about it?" I blurted out. If only I could chase after those words and ram them back into my mouth. But of course, it was impossible.

"As a matter of fact, I was the first to know about the prophecy," Victor stated, leaning on the stacks of boxes as casually as he was permitted to be. His eyes roamed my face. It was almost as if he was expecting me to do something.

I gave him a determined look. "And what was it all about?

"I thought that you already know about it?" Victor sneered.

I rolled my eyes. "That's because my source was not reliable. Rogue wasn't so sure about it."

Victor had a sly grin on his face, as if telling me that he knew something I didn't. "Well, tell me what you know so far."

I took a deep breath and gave him a hard look. "She told me that that a woman will bear YOUR son and that your son will, uh, cause destruction to the world," I said, rather hesitantly. I didn't understand why every time I would think about it, heat would rise to my cheeks. It was just so unfair.

He chuckled. "And who is that woman?"

I shrugged. "That's what they're not sure of," I told him.

We fell silent for a while. At that moment, I caught a glimpse of Victor looking thoughtful for a moment. It was funny how I always thought of him as a dumb guy with no brains to use for thinking. "That's going to slow them down," he muttered to himself.

"What's going to slow them down?" I asked, suddenly intrigued.

He barked out a laugh. "They're wrong."

I raised an eyebrow. "How could they possibly be wrong?"

"Put it this way. Let's say I took a photocopy of the information. Of course it is almost indistinguishable to the original copy. But if you photocopy that photocopy, it will get blurrier. Now, if you keep on photocopying the photocopied one, it won't be the same anymore with the original copy."

Oooookay. I wasn't expecting to hear that from him.

"So what you're implying is that they're wrong," I said, rather hesitantly.

He nodded his head. "They are always wrong since the X-men are too shallow," he stated, mockingly.

"Then, what is it all about?" I asked, challengingly.

He smirked. "The thought was correct, but the details are all jumbled up."

"Huh?"

It was then that I noticed that my heart was pounding and my palms were starting to get sweaty. I wiped it on my jeans, hoping that it would distract me for a while from Victor's piercing gaze. If only looks could kill, I would have been dead by now.

"The woman, in the prophecy, already has a name. It is only the father that we're not sure of," he said, his smile growing wider.

Why did I have a feeling that this wasn't going to turn out good? I was afraid to ask who the woman was going to be because I had this very horrifying and gut-wrenching feeling that it was going to be me. Just the thought of it made me want to just disappear and never come back again.

"Who gave that stupid prophecy anyway?" I almost shouted, out of panic.

Victor laughed, maniacally. "A little girl who can see the future," he said. "Magneto's keeping her for safekeeping."

"And who else heard it?" I asked. The usual stampede inside of me stirred.

"Magneto."

_"He isn't such a nice man to bump into..."_

Rogue's voice reverberated inside my head. I could just imagine how he and Victor got to know each other. Probably they were both in jail and then they struck a bargain with each other and then they started busting their way out of prison and then start killing people just for the heck of it...

But of course, there were still other ways they could have met.

"The girl told us that a certain Elijah Halpern will bear the child of a mutant who had taken more lives than saving them," Victor sneered, his voice becoming threateningly soft. He was taking another step toward me but I made sure to maintain the distance between us.

"And who is that mutant?" My voice wavered as the information slowly sank inside my brain. It sounded surreal. What if Victor was just scaring me? What if he wasn't telling me the truth? What if he wanted me to crack?

"Who knows. It can be anyone," he cooed. "What? Are you afraid of me now?"

Hell yeah. I was afraid of him ever since I met him. Wasn't that too obvious? I narrowed my eyes on him while my mind searched for an escape route. What was the real reason why he put me in this place? So that he could do everything he wants with me without attracting too much attention? I shuddered as a terrifying thought entered my head. That wouldn't be the case, right?

"But Bishop said that it was you and then the woman was still unknown," I said, shakily.

Victor's cold, sadistic laugh echoed inside the empty room. It made me shiver in fright. Why was it that Victor was just so unpredictable? He was making me so confused. There were times when he looked genuinely concern about me and there were times when I think he was just manipulating me. What was he really trying to do? Break me? Or was it he got bored of killing people physically so he wanted to try torturing them emotionally by playing with their feelings?

"That was because Bishop never really know about the prophecy. He only knows the future. The prophecy said that it will be you but she didn't mention the name of the father. But since Bishop had confirmed my suspicion, I might as well go on with my plan," he snickered.

"What plan?" I squeaked.

Why am I so pathetic?

"Bishop did not know you, but he knows me so he had been able to identify me," Victor explained as he noticed how befuddled I was. "Are you following me?"

I shook my head. My head was still not in its right place. It was still a little fuzzy from the drug and maybe because I was still in the state of denial. I felt like crawling underneath the covers of my bed and just pretend that nothing had happened. I wondered if I would be better off without hearing the reason why Victor was so interested in me. I didn't want to be involve in the destruction of the world. Let alone be the mother of the destroyer!

He grinned. "Let me show you."

Great...

In an instant, Victor was already standing in front of me. His lips crushed on mine and his hands held me in place. He pulled me closer before I could even react. I tried to push him away but he ignored my hands, taking it in his. My knees started to feel jell-o under me. But what scared me was the fact that I was melting under his touch. It sent electricity jolting to every part of my body. His tongue pried my lips apart and it started exploring my mouth.

That caught me off guard, making me bite his lower lip.

"Ouch!" He pulled away and cursed but it wasn't directed to me. His lower lip was bleeding.

Even though I was slightly disappointed that the kiss ended, I glared at him. "I told you to cut it out but my words cannot penetrate through your thick skull!" I snapped at him.

He wiped the blood off his lips. "Yeah right," he sneered. He leaned down to take my lips to his. And suddenly, I felt so hot all over. His hands were firmly on waist.

Anger flooded inside me but there was a new feeling added. _Desire_. Not knowing what to do with my hands, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. I hated myself for being weak. I must had amused him with my sudden change of emotions. At one point, I was pushing him away and now I was actually yearning for him? WHAT THE HECK WAS WRONG WITH ME?

He deepened the kiss, taking the initiative to start tracing patterns at my back, sending hot sparks all over my body. His touch left trails of fire on my back. His lips broke away from mine, leaving me slightly dismayed although I realized that I was panting. His lips started planting soft kisses on my nose, forehead, neck, lower jaw and everywhere else. It was when he kissed me near my collar bone did I giggled just a bit.

"Ticklish?" he mused, his breath making me giggle again.

"N-no!" I said, defensively.

"Liar," he stated. His lips found mine again and a moan escape my lips.

STUPID ELIJAH! a small voice screamed at me. This was bad. So bad. This shouldn't be happening.

His hand started going down, touching my abdomen and I felt like a knot started constricting inside my stomach. He then reached my thigh and started drawing circles as he kissed me. My breath was starting to hitch up. It was then that I noticed that my eyes were squeezed shut. I suddenly had this urge to get a look on his face, but I was afraid that if I open my eyes, the magic would be gone and I would start pushing him away from me. I needed his warmth. I need to feel him close to me.

I froze. Victor's hands were tugging at the hem of my shirt. I opened my eyes in surprise. I felt ashamed and embarrassed for losing control like that. This was all mess up. I shouldn't be doing this. This was wrong. He was wrong.

I pulled away from him. "Stop it, Victor!" I said, sternly.

"Are you sure? I know you like it," Victor said, his voice in a seductive purr.

I pushed him away and I was surprised to see him stepping back and giving me my space, but the expression on his face meant that he wasn't going to back down that easily. There was something up his sleeves. I despised the fact that he seemed to always knew what was coming up next.

"I always like it when I have to earn my prize," he suddenly said. He looked at me appraisingly.

I scowled at him. "And as usual, I do not understand a word you said," I snapped at him. "I'm going back."

Before I could even move, Victor pinned me down on the wall.

"No," he said, quite playfully. "Unless you want to commit suicide, I'll let you."

Well, I'm committing suicide when I'm with him already.

"Let go of me," I snapped at him.

"No," he threw back at me.

"I'm not asking permission. I'm giving you an order," I told him, giving him the meanest look I could muster.

"I know."

"Just cut it out, Victor," I said, lowering my voice just a little.

We stared at each other's eyes for a moment. It was amazing how I could stand looking at his eyes. Usually, I would give in by just looking straight into his grey/blue orbs, but now I was just determined to defy him at all cost.

It was quiet and nothing but our soft breathing filled the room. Everything was still as we held on to our eye contact. I wondered what what was going on inside his head. His eyes always held a lot of questions that no one dared to answer. It was so dull and empty but at the same time, a glint of vulnerability usually flashed at some points. What was going on inside his head? What was his deepest, darkest secret?

_Behind those eyes, you lie._

What drove him to become the man he was today? He looked so broken and disgruntled and yet he hid it by putting up a thick wall of insolence, violence and ignorance. Was there a little bit of humanity left in him? Did he still have his feelings?

"I don't want to let you go," Victor muttered. His voice was just so soft that I barely heard it. Just by breaking the silence, he had already successfully made me want to melt and never be whole again. How come he had this much power over me? Or maybe, I was just so weak?

No. I will NEVER EVER be weak.

"Aw. How touching," I said, sarcastically, finally succeeding in pushing him off me. I started storming off, ignoring the fact that Victor was standing on the same spot, unmoving. It was as if he was stuck in a shock for being rejected. Good for him. Now he knew how it felt to be push over by someone. I fought the urge to turn around and take a good look on him again. I wanted to see him defeated. I had, for once, surpassed one of his schemes. I had outsmarted him.

Who said that I could not play his game too?

As I walked, I realized that I had no idea where the exit was. All I saw were stacks and stacks of boxes with labels I could barely read because of the lack of light. The room was cold and quite damp. How the heck did Victor even find this place? It was a good place to hide.

When I thought I was quite far away from Victor, I turned around to check on him. He still hadn't moved an inch from where he stood. His hand was still pressed firmly against the wall while the other one was now dangling at his side. What was he doing? Did he expect that I would pity him and probably go back to him and get my ass kicked?

I wasn't going to make the same mistake again...

"If you go back, I won't guarantee that you'll be safe," Victor said, loudly. That caught me off guard but I dared not to turn around. He knew that I had beat him. A part of me felt so frivolous for finally standing up to him but another part of me felt a little guilty. A while ago, he sounded so sincere. His words felt real. He felt real.

_"Victor Creed is a dangerous man. He is so dangerous that sometimes I find myself doubting if he is even human. A monster might fit him, but no. I think there is a more humane side in him that he doesn't show. Maybe a little push here and there can bring his humanity out..."_

What if I was the push that could make him more human again?

Pfft. Yeah right. As if that was true. It was like saying that the world was flat. In fact, that sounded better than saying I could tame him.

Without realizing it, I had found the end of the room and stumbled upon the door-the only way out of the room. Now that I thought of it, the room wasn't really huge. The dull walls stretched the room, making it look huge. And since it was empty, it appeared to be spacious and large.

Finally, I turned around, sneaking a glance on Victor. He was now facing me. His face was hard and unreadable. I wasn't surprised to see that. His eyes got darker, just like the first time I saw it. He was angry. His eyes would get darker whenever he was angry, but how come there was something else inside his eyes? Was that disappointment? Hurt? Whatever it was, its glint was too feeble to be detected. But it bothered me so much. I had never seen anyone having those eyes. It was so dark, cold and empty. It literally made me shiver.

"Don't," he said.

It was amazing how I heard him despite the fact that he was at the far end of the room. His lips were tugged to a frown and his eyebrows were furrowed together. Something was clearly troubling him. It made me irked. Why did he have to hide everything from me? Why couldn't he just face me with facts?

"Just wake up Victor. I'm not your pawn nor am I your prize in a game. You do not own me," I whispered under my breath. It wasn't really directed to him. I was more of reminding myself that. As my hand rested on top of the cold door knob that would announce my freedom from the damp place, a tingling sensation came over my stomach. Something wasn't right.

Victor was still watching me, warily. He was tensed and alert. I knew that expression. He was ready to attack. That made me even more nervous. For the past days, I learned how to trust my instincts, and right now, it was telling me that there was something outside that I didn't even want to know.

"Don't," Victor said, again. This time, he was taking a step forward. Instantly, I panicked. I was afraid that if he got closer to me, my facade would disappear. I couldn't afford to make one single mistake.

Acting on my defense mechanism, I turned the knob and stepped outside...

**Well...how was it? REVIEW please!**

**Current Songs: The Man Who Sold The World by Nirvana; Wake up by Three Days Grace; Behind Those Eyes by 3 Doors Down; Stellar by Incubus**


	18. Part Eighteen: LOOK THROUGH MY EYES

**I AM SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRY FOR THE DELAY! I HAVEN'T HAD THE TIME BECAUSE OF ALL THE ACTIVITIES I'M IN BUT NO NEED TO FEAR! BECAUSE YSH IS HERE! ^^ **

**Anyways...**

**Currently, i'm listening to my past favorite songs which means it includes Phil Collins and Disney songs...because even if it's not obvious, I grew up with Disney shows and movies. It's practically the only thing I watched in the t.v. except for Geographic Channel, Animal Planet, Star Movies and HBO. You don't have to say it. I already know that i sounded like a complete loser watching all those channel but hey! it doesn't hurt to watch something educational! By the way, THANK YOU FOR ALL THOSE WHO HAD REVIEWED AND READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS! ^^ Anyways...I hope you'll enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: X-men's not mine. Sabertooth's not mine. Victor Creed is not mine. Aw...**

Part Eighteen: TAKE A LOOK THROUGH MY EYES

_"You're going to be my key."_

Victor's voice echoed inside my head. His words bounced all around it making me feel dizzy. It was irritating how cold it was outside and how I had to walk in the middle of the night along the streets of New York while the snow fell to the ground. But the worst part was I had no clue to where I was. All I knew was that there were so many skyscrapers surrounding me.

Surprise, surprise. It was New York after all.

I tugged at my jacket, pulling it closer to me. Even though it was way passed midnight, there were still people scattered at the damp, cold streets of New York. Some looked mean and nasty while others looked like they had been harassed from work. Others were hurrying to get back to their warm, cozy homes where their family would probably be waiting for them.

Victor was no where in sight and I was a bit glad about that but at the same time, fidgety. Despite the fact that he kept on making my life miserable, he also protected me from harm. He always seemed to know when to make a good entrance. A part of me was hoping that I would see him stalking me, yelling at me for bailing out of him but an hour had passed since I left him and yet there was no sign of him. It was funny how I was suppose to despise him but I was still yearning for his warmth, especially now that I was completely terrified of what was lying ahead of me.

_"What's Magneto's plan?"_

_"It's just a one perfect circle."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"I don't know where to begin because there'll be no end to it."_

_"To what?"_

_"Discrimination between my kind and your kind."_

_"And what does that have to do with me?" _

_"Oh. It got everything to do with you. You've been caught in the middle of it-in the middle of one perfect circle of endless violence and misunderstandings."_

Little by little, I was starting to understand what Victor meant when we had this conversation long ago. All this time, I already knew. The only problem was I just forgot. I always convinced myself that it was for the best. Forgetting it was better instead of diving right into it to find out more. But even if I did find out sooner, I knew there was nothing I could do to stop this. A man from the future already came and witnessed it happened. That meant I lost. Victor had always been destined to be the winner. I was weak- while he wasn't.

_"I'm not going to say that you're the key to finishing the problem. I'm saying that you're the key to get that circle rolling."_

Now I was wishing that there was still a bomb available to drop on me. I wanted to get away from the haunting fact that it would happen sooner or later. But I was sure that I would put up a good fight before Victor would get what he wanted from me.

_"I know you like it."_

Victor's words floated inside my head. Those words scared me. First, because it was impossible. Second, because it was true. I liked it. I liked the way he holds me close to him. I liked the way his breath washes over my face. I liked the way he whispers to my ears. I liked the way I always get lost in his eyes. I liked the way he wraps his arms around me. I liked the way he smell. I liked the way he kisses me.

The worst part was that he knew it. He used this information against me. He knew how to play with my emotions. And I hate myself for that. Was I that easy to read? Did I even have some privacy left? It was as if my life wasn't mine anymore - as if I was only watching it unfold in front of me and pretend that it was just a movie. Was this normal or was I just too weak? Maybe I had a glitch in my brain after hitting my head too hard when I was a toddler.

Drowning myself in my own thoughts, I did not notice a shadow looming behind me. It was too late when I finally noticed it. I turned around just in time to see a man standing with his back against the moonlight. His face was obscured by the lack of light but I could see the creepy smile on his face. My eyes widened and my heart felt like it had completely forgotten how to pump out my blood. For a second, I just stared at him, too terrified to move hoping that maybe if I didn't move he wouldn't detect me.

But this man was no dinosaur or animal...He had brains.

"Good evening," he said, his voice so low and soft and yet it was so dangerous too. It was as if DANGER was written across his forehead.

My eyes traveled down from his face to his torso. It was bare despite the freezing temperature and there was a weird tattoo that covered his left arm until the left half of his torso. He was only wearing a pair of pants. His hairstyle was weird. He was bald but in the middle of his head, he let his hair grow long. I blinked twice. At first, he just smiled down on me but he wasn't saying a word.

I wouldn't take anymore chances...

Without giving it much thought, I started running for my life. I pushed passed my way through very few people. I could already count them with my own ten fingers. It made me all the more scared because the less people gathered here, the lesser chances of me getting home in one piece.

_Stupid Elijah. It would have been much better if I just listened to Victor!_

But it would make his head bigger! Why was it so complicated?

As I ran, I tried hard not to look back too scared to find out if the guy was actually following me. I was panicking. How many times had this happened to me? Four times? Five times? Six times? Who knew? I wasn't too eager to actually count them all. Not taking the suspense any longer, I looked back to see that there was no one behind me. I slowed down, panting and confused. The guy wasn't following me? I couldn't see him anywhere. Did he even chase me?

"Boo," a sly voice purred to my ears.

I literally jumped and squeaked like a girl.

Oh wait...I am a girl.

The voice was cold and cruel. No matter how hard I wished that it was Victor, I knew it wasn't. This voice was different from his. This was too cold and it didn't sound too smooth. It did have a little tantalizing effect on me but I definitely knew that this voice wasn't to be trusted.

I whipped around, mustering the fiercest look that I could. "What do you want?" I asked, glaring at him.

The man with the weird hairstyle laughed. "Is that the right way to greet a weary traveler? Do you know how long I've been trying to track you down?" the man asked, his voice sending shivers down my spine. I didn't even want to know the answer to his questions.

WHY ME?

_"The woman in the prophecy already has a name. It is only the father that we're not sure of."_

Victor's voice haunted me. The words rang coldly inside my head. I just couldn't understand why that thought flickered inside my head. What did it have to do with this very peculiar guy in front of me? But as those words echoed inside my head, realization hit me hard.

This guy knew the prophecy. But from whom?

I took a step backward, trying to get away from him but his watchful eyes gave me the impression that he wouldn't let me out of my sight. I was trapped. There was no way I could defeat him in a hand to hand combat. By the looks of it, he knew how to fight. Worse. He knew how to kill. His eyes said it all. I knew that he would beat me if I engage him in a battle.

Unless...

"I said what do you want?" I asked, this time my voice was regaining strength. I tried to calm down my wildly beating heart but it was fruitless. I felt like it was going to burst any moment now and I could do nothing to stop it. That thought made me more frightened.

The guy took a step forward but I retreated once again. I dared not to look away from his sadistic eyes. I knew that I was looking straight into a killer's eyes.

But now that I thought of it, I always had been looking through a murderer's eyes: Victor's.

"Tell me, Elijah Halpern, how did you know how to hide?" the man snickered.

I raised an eyebrow. It was no use repeating my question. It was obvious that he wouldn't bother answering it. It was always like that. Answer Elijah with another question but never a statement. Stupid people. Who did they think I was?

"Hide?" I asked, puzzled. What were we talking about again?

The man's smile widened. "Yes. Hide. Your scent was quite hard to follow because someone's scent kept on covering it up."

Stalling tactics. Ha! The beauty of it. While having a pleasant conversation with this dumb guy, I was trying to draw an escape route. Of course my plan was a bit too risky and stupid but that was just who I was. Let's just hope luck would be on my side for once.

"What's your name?" I asked, hoping that he would answer this simple question.

"They call me Daken."

Oooookay. That was a weird name. Let me guess. It was only his alias. Inwardly, I sighed. Why did mutants like using aliases instead of their real names? I didn't get the point of hiding themselves behind weird names. Rogue sounded okay. Professor X? Hm. Acceptable. But Daken? I didn't even know that such a word existed!

The man took another step forward so now he was standing right in front of me. I could smell his breath and it wasn't so nice. At least his breath didn't smell of chewing gum.

"You reeked of a person I know. His scent is all over you," Daken said, his voice so soft and low.

Something stirred at the pit of my stomach. My heart was starting to slow down a bit at the sound of his voice. What the heck was going on? I tore my eyes away from him, thinking that maybe he knew how to do hypnosis.

"You smell like Sabertooth," he said, pointedly. He frowned. "It seems like he had gotten ahead of me."

Sabertooth? Was this guy referring to Victor?

"What do you want?" I finally asked again.

He laughed, making me shudder. "The same thing Victor wants from you."

I KNEW IT! He was here because of that stupid prophecy.

"Oh. I see that you already know it," Daken snickered.

Was I that obvious?

Daken snorted. "Too bad. I thought that I was going to surprise you. But this will do."

My eyes widened. "WHAT?" I couldn't understand the meaning behind his words but I was sure that I wouldn't like it.

"Questions later," Daken sneered, taking another step forward until there weren't any space between us. Proceeding with my plan, I prayed that it would work without having to kill myself. Without much further thought, I willed my legs to kick Daken in his most sensitive area between his legs.

Daken howled in pain - just the reaction I was hoping for. He fell to his knees as he continued to throw curses and threats at me. This wasn't the time to admire my work so I started running away from him again, although at the back of my mind, I knew that I couldn't do anything anymore. I was still trapped, unless I would get to a safe place. Where was I going? I didn't know. I would just hope that luck with be on my side tonight.

"Stupid woman!" I heard him shout after me as I ran. I knew that I hadn't got enough time to get away from him but I wasn't losing hope. Probably Victor would be around the corner and he would save me just as he did when Logan chased me. Or maybe Victor would just pop out of nowhere and tear Daken limb to limb. Or maybe...

_Elijah. You don't need Victor. He's a murderer and a very bad person. You cannot trust him, _a small voice shouted at me. It was right. I shouldn't be too dependent on Victor. He was the one who brought these upon me. Maybe if he didn't intrude with my life, this wouldn't be happening. It was all his fault in the first place and now I was hoping that he would save me? Why was I so stupid? Steering my thoughts away from Victor, I willed myself to run faster. That was the only weapon I had.

As I ran, I didn't notice a small stone lying on my path. A STONE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SIDEWALK? Did luck hate me so much to put a STONE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SIDEWALK? I tripped and stumbled and rolled over. I used my hands to stop me from falling but it backfired. I felt a stab of pain on my right wrist and the pain continued to make its way to my elbow. The next thing I knew, my whole right arm was numb because of the pain. I couldn't lift it or move it because the pain would bite me. But if I let it be, I couldn't feel it. I lied on the asphalt wishing that Daken would be kind enough to end my life right there and then. I was so tired. My heart hurt as it continued to beat wildly. I was panting because I had never ran so fast and so far in my entire life. I never was good at sports. But I wasn't thinking of the pain in my arm or the soreness of my legs. I was thinking about my death in Daken's hands.

_"You've got your uses."_

I groaned. Of course. Daken wouldn't kill me. He had a much better plan.

"Told you it's be suicide if you went out."

My eyes fluttered open as I heard a familiar voice.

_Victor Creed._

I didn't know that hearing his voice would actually make me feel so happy and hopeful. I WASN'T GOING TO DIE JUST YET! As I opened my eyes, I saw him crouching down beside me, examining my face. I could just see the mock in his grey eyes but he wasn't smiling. I tried to sit up and move my right arm but it brought back fresh pain. I tried to bite my tongue to stop myself from whimpering but it was too late. Victor already noticed. He sighed. "You really are stubborn, aren't you?" He straightened up. He wrapped his hand around my left arm and pulled me up. I didn't need to exert too much effort to stand up because he was doing all the pulling.

"Where's the bastard?" he asked, looking at me.

I shrugged, still trying to catch up my breath. "I don't know. I didn't check if he ev-" His hand flew up to my mouth, muffling the next words I was about to say. He put a finger on his lips. I could feel him tensed up. That made me feel nervous but the fear was gone. I felt safe around Victor.

"Well, well, well. Can you see what I see?"

The voice made me shudder and unconsciously, I quickly reached out to grab Victor's hand. I was scared and I need something steady and adamant to hold on to. Victor was the only one I got for now and he was my stone which I could hold on to.

As I slipped my hand to his, I felt him relaxed just a little. He didn't look at me but I had a hint of what his thoughts would be. And I swore that I would wipe that smirk on his face...after this nightmare would end I would come out in one piece.

_Really Elijah. You hate him with all you heart and mind. Why are you holding his goddamn hand? _

It was as if red lights were flashing behind me telling me that I had stepped over the line. Destroying the mood, Daken appeared with an annoying smirk on his face. I was so tempted to wipe that off his face. Now that I thought of it, he resembled Victor a bit. There was something feral about them and the way they moved. Plus, they wore the same smug smirk. Also, both of them scared me shitless.

Victor roughly pushed me back, as if he was trying to hide me from Daken. I almost rolled my eyes if only this wasn't a life and death situation. I was scared. My mind went blank the moment I saw Victor's eyes. It was so dark, cold and empty. I had seen those eyes a dozen of times already. It only meant one thing. Things were about to get ugly. His eyes just said so. He let go of my hand and the smile on his face faded. It was replaced by a more sinister smile and seeing it made me cold all over. This wasn't the Victor I saw before I went out of the room. This was the Victor I saw in the alley with a innocent victim in his hands. It was about to get bloody. I knew it.

Daken laughed, maniacally. "C'mon. Let's drop the act and face it. We both want something from her and we both have the same vision," Daken said, walking very slowly towards us. Again. His voice felt so heavy and low. It felt like it was creeping on my skin.

This time, it was Victor's turn to laugh. Why wasn't I surprise? Victor wasn't really the type of person who would take something seriously. When it came to fighting, he always seemed to take it as a joke. It irked me sometimes but right now, I felt like I was in safe hands.

"Same vision? Tell me, what is my vision?" Victor sneered.

Daken's lips curled into a smile. "Oh I see where this is going." He shook his head. "I'm slightly disappointed but oh well." He cocked his head from side to side and each time a loud crack could be heard. That shook me. I never heard anyone doing that. Not my dad. Or my neighbor. Or Nick. Or Logan. Or Victor. Suddenly, two blades popped out of Daken's knuckles. It reminded me a bit of Logan. He had those scary babies too but his were three. Daken only got two. Ha! That's pathetic.

The smile on Daken didn't disappear when another blade slowly appear from both his wrists. And now he had three blades. Great...

Victor turned to look at me. "Relax. I'll handle this." He let go of my hand and actually pat me on top of my head.

RELAX? How could he expect me to relax when I knew that a battle would unfold in front of me. This wasn't a friendly competition. This was a battle till death. Both men looked so scary and deadly and they both looked so evenly matched. Who would win? Victor or the weird guy named Daken?

I just hoped it would be Victor...

Victor finally turned his back on me and steered his attention back to his opponent. His eyes went hard and dark once again. This was it. My heart was starting to beat so wildly and uncontrollably that I was finding it very hard to breathe. I was scared that Victor might lose and I would be left alone with Daken defenseless.

Daken crouched down into a threatening position. "Let the battle begin."

**Well? What will happen next? Lol. Anyways, hope you like it! ^^ Please REVIEW. I would really appreciate it. **


	19. Part Nineteen: TIME OF DYING

**Once again, I'm back. Thanks for those who reviewed. They really made my day and made me feel a little better since I am currently stuck on my bed with a terrible headache and fever. Anyways...My addiction to Three Days Grace and Flyleaf are back too and I'm inspired to write more. Hope that you all will like the chapter. Please enjoy! ^^**

**Disclaimer: X-men is not mine. Sabertooth is not mine. And now I'm gonna cry...DDD; But thank God I do not own Daken. ^^**

Part Nineteen: TIME OF DYING

This wasn't good. This was just a dream. I wasn't standing in a deserted alley with two menacing guys who reminded me of a cat and a dog engaged in a very hot battle. But that was just too bad. My heart pounded against my ribcage so painfully and so fast that I could barely count how many times it was beating. I didn't care. I was too absorbed in hoping that Victor would emerge in the battle, unscathed and victorious. At least I would like him to win instead of the other guy.

_"Let the battle begin."_

It was amazing how four words could make me shake with fright. But something else was bothering me. What did Daken mean when he said that they had the same vision. Did that mean they were accomplices? For one moment, I was afraid that Victor would betray me but I was able to breathe easily when I realized that Victor was going to be on my side. That made me feel more secured and less nervous but that didn't mean that I wasn't nervous. Looking at them glaring at each other was already nerve-wrecking. What else if they would start attacking each other. I was starting to feel faint just by thinking about it. It was going to be really bloody and messy.

"If I were you, I would better get away from the battlefield as far as I can," Victor muttered as he crouched down on his hands. His position, once again, reminded me of an angry cat ready to pounce at his enemy. Daken, on the other hand, looked very composed but alert. His hands were down on his sides. He wasn't in his fighting stance but I knew that he was ready to take Victor on.

Without another word, I started to run away from them but not too far because I needed to see for myself that Victor would be okay. And anyway, I knew that I had my uses. I might probably be handy. I hid behind a wall, knowing that those two men would be out of control when the battle would start. I wouldn't want to take anymore chances.

Every part of my body was shaking as I watched. I was scared because I didn't know what would happen. It didn't feel like I was in a movie because this time, it was real. There were no second chances in this battle. Lives were at stake here.

Victor started running towards Daken in full speed. The smile on Daken's face didn't fade away. It just stayed there as if it had been glued. Just when Victor was about to tackle him, Daken jumped. He _jumped_ so high that I watched, in dismay, Victor ran straight to the brick wall. I heard the sickening crack. I wasn't so sure if it was the brick cracking or Victor's bones. I just wished that it were the bricks. Daken landed on his two feet, as if jumping almost 6 feet off the ground was the most normal thing a person could do. He chuckled when he saw Victor nursing his now bleeding face. It wasn't such a pretty sight. Victor was getting red in the face, obviously filled with fury or blood.

"Look at yourself," Daken snickered.

The wounds on Victor's face started to knit themselves together, healing so rapidly. Victor put his hands down to his sides. His face meant that it was getting personal. I smiled slightly. I forgot. Victor could heal himself. He couldn't be killed because he could simply just heal himself after the battle. A new profound hope fluttered inside me. I could see the light. Victory was so clear and bright now. Daken would just fight a fruitless battle because no matter how much attack he would blow on Victor, Victor would just heal.

Victor spat out some blood. "What's there to look at?" he asked, growling just a bit. He bared his teeth to Daken. From a far, I knew that Victor was planning for his next attack but he wasn't moving away from his place. He stood there, watching Daken with steady, watchful eyes. I wanted to shout at him. Why wasn't he moving? What was he doing there standing like an idiot? MOVE IT!

I glanced anxiously at Daken who still hadn't moved from his spot. What was wrong with them? Why weren't they fighting? Were they trying to stare each other down? That was downright weird. Slowly, they began circling each other, as if they were stuck in a dance - a terrifying dance. Both eyes were alert and guarded. Each one of them waiting for the other to make the first move. Actually, they were waiting for the someone to make the second move. If this was a movie, I would have gotten bored, but this was real life. My heart didn't calm down. Another storm stirred inside me. They were killing me with the suspense.

"I see that you have that sword," Victor suddenly spoke up, startling me a bit.

I cocked my head to one side. Sword? The guy didn't need the sword. He already had knives coming out of his arms!

Daken laughed. "You know about this?"

Victor smirked. "Only heard of it."

"Are you scared now?" Daken said, suddenly unsheathing a long thin sword from a scabbard danging just beside his right leg. I didn't notice that. In fact, I didn't even see that coming. Actually, it seemed very much like a katana to me. And it looked deadlier than the blades sticking out of Daken's arms. Wait a minute. Those weren't blades. They weren't made of metal. I squinted slightly to check out the deadly weapon that Daken possessed in his arms. Were those bones? Sharp bones sticking out of his knuckles and his wrists?

That was downright creepy...

Belittling Victor was the wrong thing to do.

With a growl, Victor started charging towards Daken. He had the meanest face I had ever seen.

That was a stupid move.

Why? Simple. Daken had a sword at his hands. He could easily swing it around and hit Victor. But I knew that Victor would heal after getting hit.

_What if Daken sliced off Victor's arm? _a small voice asked, worried.

That made me nervous. Would Victor grow out another arm?

Victor pounced at him like a very huge cat. I willed myself not to close my eyes because that would mean I wouldn't see what would happen next. Was it possible that Victor would get stab? This was Victor we were talking about. I knew that he wouldn't be defeated. He had no weaknesses. All he had were his strengths. He was like a machine that couldn't be stop once it started killing. The thought made me feel so cold.

Daken was knocked off his feet by Victor's powerful tackle, leading the two men rolling over and over in the asphalt. The sword had slipped off Daken's fingers and I had the strangest impulse to get out of my safe hiding place and ran for it. Maybe I could do something to help Victor because if you asked me, I would rather have Victor instead of Daken who I knew nothing of except for the fact that he, too, was a very scary and deadly man. The rolling came to a stop and this time, Daken was on top of him. I noticed that no matter how muscular Daken's body was built, Victor was still bulkier and bigger. Putting that observation aside, I watched in horror as Daken continuously punched Victor in the face with his very sharp bones sticking out. It was horrible. In every hit, blood flew everywhere.

The sword was lying slightly too far away from them. This was it. If I ran towards it and snatch it, Daken might notice and catch up with me. That would be one fatal mistake. But then, I had this nagging feeling Victor wouldn't let anything happen to me. Or maybe I was just hoping that he would have my back.

I had to make up my mind now...

My thoughts were interrupted when Victor had successfully thrown Daken off him and threw him at the other side.

"Go Victor!" I shouted, not able to contain myself. Once again, I was enlightened with hope. There was definitely a chance that he was going to make it. Victor turned to look at me - the source of the hullabaloo. What was I doing? This was wrong. Victor needed to concentrate on the battle and I wasn't helping him do that. In fact, I was doing the exact opposite. But then, the look on his face told me likewise. He smirked and actually winked at me.

He WINKED at me.

It took all my will power not to flinch. The sight wasn't a good one. His face was so bloody that you could barely see his face but at least the wounds were healed and he looked much better than before. It was only the bloodiness which was the problem.

He ran after the fallen Daken who was about to go to his knees but Victor was quick enough to knock him off his feet. Daken was knock a few feet from where he was. A punch of Victor was strong enough to break anyone's nose. It would have made my day if I saw Daken with a broken nose.

But that wasn't the case.

When I looked at Daken, his face looked perfectly fine. Of course, bruises would only appear after the battle, right? But why did I have this peculiar feeling that that wasn't going to be the case with Daken. I was snapped out of my reverie when I saw Victor swiping his claws across Daken's chest, leaving a really ugly red wound. It oozed with blood. I almost squealed. I never really liked seeing blood. Daken just looked down and shook his head. "Quit playing games, Victor. You know that I'm just like you."

A ghost of a grin appeared at Victor's grim face. "You're never like me. And you can never reach up to him, too." He chuckled when he saw Daken's expression. It was priceless. It seemed like Victor had just hit the right button.

"Don't you dare bring him up," Daken growled.

"Do you even know who I'm talking about?" Victor taunted.

Without another word, Daken angrily tackled him, pinning Victor on the wall with his claws near Victor's throat. "Say his name and I would definitely cut your head off."

Victor laughed once more. "Wolverine. Logan. James. Jimmy. What name do you want?" A smile appeared so eerily on Victor's face that it made the hair on my arm stick out. Stupid Victor. Why did he have to make things worse?

Daken was about to plunge his claws in Victor's throat when Victor successfully pushed him away. Victor smirked. "Lookie here. You're the one who's playing games. You perfectly know that neither of us is going to die this way," Victor snickered.

I raised an eyebrow with his statement. What the heck did he mean?

I switched my attention to Daken who was now standing up. I scrutinized him very carefully. There was something missing. Something was definitely wrong but I just couldn't put my finger on it. I squinted my eyes, hoping that I could see through the dark easier. Alas, I realized what it was and it made me gasped. The wound on his chest was gone. It healed itself just as Victor healed his other wounds. My eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. This was not good. This was bad. _Very _bad. How the heck would this battle be over? It was impossible!

"You know, uncle, you were always the one who loves playing games. I was never really amused with it," Daken said, spitting on the ground. His hands were behind his back, blocking Victor's sight to what he had in his hands but I could see it. Daken was holding the katana.

What was up with that thing?

...

Wait...

Did I just hear it correctly? Did he just call Victor uncle?

Victor gritted his teeth. "Let's see if this doesn't amuse you yet." And he started coming after him.

Well, looking back, they almost had the same powers. They also resembled each other when it came to their body built and a bit in their attitude. Okay. Fine. It wasn't a bit. They possessed the SAME attitude.

Just as Victor was getting near Daken, I watched in awe as Daken jumped up so high once more. I smacked my hand on my forehead. Why did he keep on doing that? Victor was quick to recover but it wasn't fast enough for Daken. Daken landed just behind him and when Victor turned around to face him, Daken swung the sword upward, tearing through Victor's shirt and his skin. More blood were spattered on the asphalt.

Victor howled in pain. His howl sending shivers down my spine. That was the first time I actually heard him get hurt. But I was reassured as I reminded myself that Victor had a healing ability. I was sure that that wound was going to be nothing. I turned my attention back to the two men. I kept on checking out the wound inflicted by the sword and noticed that his skin wasn't knitting itself together just as they usually did whenever they receive a fresh wound. That was odd. Why wasn't it healing?

Once again, Daken had successfully ran his blade along Victor's back from his right shoulder blade down on his right hip. The wound was long just as the wound Victor had at the front. I anxiously looked at the wound Victor had at his front. It still was not healing.

Despite of the wounds, the battle went on. Victor desperately tried to make Daken let go of the blasted katana but Daken's grip on it was too tight. Victor tried to kick Daken's hand, break his wrist or even bite it but Daken held on to it. And every time Victor did that, he would receive another fresh wound from Daken.

But he kept on fighting...

Victor tried every tactics he could think of. He pounced at him, strangled the guy but the wounds the sword had inflicted on him was slowing him down. One didn't have to be an expert to know about it. I could see that Victor was getting tired but he wasn't giving up. Slowly, I could see the frustration settling on his features. Each blow he made seemed more wild. He wasn't thinking straight anymore. He let his animal instincts kick in. It was a terrifying sight.

Finally, he had Daken around the neck and had successfully wrenched the sword out of his grasp. The katana was now lying on the ground, ignored as Victor snarled at Daken. His back was turned on me so I didn't know what expression his face held but I had a feeling that he had a murderous expression on his face.

"Where did you get the sword?" Victor yelled at him. His voice was so loud it could almost wake the entire city. I shuddered, frightened at the harsh tone in his voice. I never knew that a person could contain too much venom in his voice.

"Oh. So you know about the sword?" he mused, dodging the question.

Victor growled at him angrily. "I'm the one who's asking questions," he barked. His grip around Daken's neck tightened. If ever Daken was just a normal guy, he would have died for lack of oxygen but it seemed like his regenerating mutation was keeping him alive.

"The Muramasa Blade? It's easy. I got it from your little brother," Daken replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Victor started to slowly squeezed Daken's neck. "From your father?"

Daken's eyes widened. "Don't you dare tell me that he's my father. We're nothing alike," he screamed. Suddenly, his face softened. He looked at Victor with a calm expression. "You should let me go now."

Was this guy crazy? He did know that no idiot would actually let him go.

I looked at Victor. What I saw made me doubt my own thoughts. A glimpse of hesitation was visible in Victor's grim face. What the heck was wrong with him? A moment of silence passed. Victor still didn't let his guard down but the hesitation was still there. I took this chance to make sure that my heart was still pumping.

Good news: it still was.

Victor gritted his teeth. "Yeah right." And then he started bashing Daken's head on the brick wall. A silent scream echoed inside me. That was downright inhuman. No human being would do that to someone!

Blood flew everywhere making me sick. The memory of the night I first saw Victor entered my head. This same event reminded me of that time when I was walking back home in a cold night and ever since then, my life went upside down. The face of the innocent victim intruded my thoughts. I had the choice to save that man and yet I failed to. I knew that I was no match for Victor. He could easily kill me with a blink of an eye. I wasn't a fool but the face still haunted me in my dreams.

Finally, Victor let go of Daken when he began looking like a rag doll in Victor's grip. Daken lied on the ground, his face bleeding heavily. Victor didn't turn around. He just stared at Daken's unmoving figure, as if making sure that he wouldn't stand up again. With the tip of his foot, he nudged Daken's unconscious face. Daken still didn't move. I took that as a sign to get out of my hiding place. Slowly, I stepped out of my safe, cozy place where I had been able to witness the most violent fight unscathed.

"Victor?" I said, slowly and unsure. Fear still had a good grasp on me.

He didn't answer nor turn around to face me.

"Victor?" I repeated, elevating my voice.

He still didn't respond.

I stopped myself from actually shouting at him. What the heck was wrong with him again? He was now barely an arm's reach when I stopped walking and I had the strangest impulse to actually reach out for him. But I quickly dismissed it from my mind. "Victor?"

As his name stumbled out my mouth, something grabbed me by the neck and lifted me off the ground. It was so fast that the next thing I knew, I was staring straight at Victor's empty, grey eyes. This wasn't what I was expecting and I didn't know if I was hurt physically or emotionally.

Slowly, I could feel the air slipping out of me. I grabbed Victor's fingers and tried to pry them apart so that he may let me go but he was too powerful and the more I struggled, the more tighter his grip became. Victor just looked at me, but not really recognizing me. It was as if he was in a fog and he just couldn't find his way out.

"V-V-Victor," I croaked, trying to take in as much oxygen as I could but to no avail, I started seeing black spots everywhere. I was surprised that I was still conscious. Victor still seemed stuck in the mysterious mist. His grey eyes were still so cold and stony. Those eyes weren't the eyes of a man. Those were the eyes of a monster.

Any second now and I knew I was about to lose consciousness.

More black spots swam before my eyes. Any second now...

"Eli?"

His voice was so distant...

"Eli?"

But it was getting louder.

"Eli?"

WHO THE HECK WAS HE CALLING ELI? THAT'S A BOY'S NAME!

I opened my eyes and sat up so fast that my head started spinning. This was the third time I woke up with a very queasy stomach. Victor was sitting right beside me. His face was so pale and a very worn out expression was on his face. But there was something more on his face. Was it concern I was sensing?

"ELI!" he exclaimed, reminding me a bit of a child.

I glared at him. "Who the heck is Eli?"

Victor smirked. "You."

That made my glare more venomous. "And who told you that you can call me that?"

"Me. Got a problem with that?"

Before I could snap back at him, I noticed that he was absolutely shirtless. My eyes widened and my stomach started to twist in all sort of different directions. I could feel the heat rising up to my face. I tried to pull myself together. It was just a shirtless guy. Not to mention the guy was Victor.

Victor put a hand on top of my head and ruffled my head, receiving another death glare from me. He just laughed. "I'm glad you're okay."

I bit my tongue to prevent myself from telling him that it was his fault in the first place. But feeling his hand on top of my head made me feel much better and more secured. It was warm and felt like home.

Talking about home...

"Where the heck am I?" I asked, slapping his hand off my head. Ever since the incident in the warehouse, I had found the guts to stand up to him.

"Somewhere anyone can never find," Victor said.

...

Victor had a lot of explaining to do.

**Well? How was it? ^^ Anyways, please REVIEW! **

**Currently Playing: Time of Dying by Three Days Grace, There for You by Flyleaf. THOSE SONGS ROCK!**


	20. Part Twenty: PROMISE ME

**So so so so soooooooooooooorry for the long wait. I have a perfect excuse to why I only updated now. Simply because I had a severe case of measles...and for the whole week I can barely even speak let alone type on the laptop. So...I'm very sorry if I left you all hanging in the last chapter. Which reminds me... thank you for those who reviewed in my latest chapter. It made me feel much better actually. ^^ Anyways...I hope you will enjoy this chapter! ^^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men. Think of what fun I can do if ever I do own them. :D**

Part Twenty: PROMISE ME

Who would have thought that a mad, man-eating monster would be thoughtful enough to actually carry me all the way to an unknown, rundown motel where no one, in their right mind, would actually think of checking in and stay for the entire night? Wow. Victor Creed really did have a heart. It was only the mind I wasn't so sure of. Why did he have to bring me to a very scary place in the middle of the night? What made it worse was that I wasn't even sure if I was still in New York City. Everything seemed so new to me. The walls weren't so clean and the paint was peeling off. The entire place reeked of alcohol and cigars. The lights were barely bright enough to light the room. Plus, the sheets on the bed didn't look so clean to me. Its color was indistinguishable.

Victor sat at the other end of the bed, shirtless. His whole upper body was covered with long, open wounds. It wasn't actually a pretty sight. He had a sterilized needle on his hand and I could see him struggling to keep his composure. And here I was, cowering at the other end of the bed, trying to get away from him as far as I could. Just seeing him in that state scared the hell out of me. It wasn't because he was shirtless. Not so clean thoughts entered my mind whenever I would take notice of his bare torso but that wasn't the point. Those angry wounds looked so deep that I had a feeling that it needed some stitchings. I wasn't a doctor. I was only studying psychology.

"Staring is rude, you know," Victor muttered.

I quickly looked away from him, gritting my teeth to stop myself from snapping back at him. He acted like he was fine and okay but I knew that he was hurting. His eyes weren't so hard like it usually were. Also, I could see the pain flashing across his face. This was probably the first time I saw him struggling with battle wounds. He was always perfectly fine after a battle because of his outstanding skills and as well as his healing factor.

As I steered my attention away from him, my eyes fell on the glinting sword leaning on the wall near the door. Just by looking at it, I could feel that it was very evil. It was as if it was whispering obscenities as it stood there waiting for a wielder to come along. Its blade looked so deadly and alluring at the same time. Despite of the wounds it had inflicted on Victor, there were no traces of blood or any signs that it had been use. It still looked pretty new and untouched from afar.

"How can that thing do this to you?" I blurted out, not able to suppress my curiosity.

Victor froze just as he was about to plunge the needle through his skin. He tore his gaze away from his wound and looked me straight into the eyes. His gray eyes glimmering in the poorly lit room. He didn't look too eager to explain the power the sword held. "Because it isn't your normal sword," he replied. Once again, he brought his attention back to his wound. Without wincing, he let the needle pass through his skin and started sewing the wound on his arm.

I looked away from him and started gulping in as much fresh air as I could. "What did Daken want?" I asked, letting the bomb drop on us. I knew that this was what Victor was avoiding. He didn't want to answer these kind of questions because he knew that it would scare me. But I needed to know the answer. No matter how scary it may be, I still needed to know.

"You," Victor stated, as if it was the most obvious reason in the entire world.

"Was it because of the prophecy?" Of course I already knew the answer but I just couldn't help but hope that it wasn't really because of that lousy prophecy. So what if a little girl who could foresee the future say that I would bear a son who would destroy the earth? I could change that...right? Those weren't permanent or anything.

Victor didn't answer me. He just remained silent. I watched him sew the wound on his arm. His hands were steady and cautious but I could see it shake once in a while. I knew that it hurt even though he wasn't showing it. It didn't take an expert to know that Victor was only hiding the real pain. This guy really did treasure his reputation. Did he ever think that showing a sign of humanity meant that he was weak? Did he ever consider himself human?

Slowly, I moved closer to him as if I was approaching a scared puppy. "Victor?" I said, cautiously. The look on his face told me that he was too focused on sewing the wound on his arm and I flinched as I watched him.

"Yes, Eli?" he mocked.

ELI? But that was a boy's name!

"Don't call me that," I snapped at him. I put on the angriest look that I could muster.

"Why not? Your name's Elijah, right? Your name is too long so I shortened it," Victor said, not even looking at me.

"That's a boy's name," I told him, putting as much venom on my voice.

Victor shrugged. "Elijah's already a boy's name so what's the point." And he went on with the stitching. I knew that there was nothing that could change his mind about my newly formed nickname. I rolled my eyes at him and went back to my previous position - which was as far away from him as the bed would permit me to be.

A dark atmosphere hang over us, making me squirm. It wasn't like the usual silence we used to have back in my apartment. Our normal silence wouldn't bother me but this was different. There were words which were best unsaid. I was afraid that saying one wrong word would send Victor into a vicious fit. And thus, I just let out a sigh. Victor's attention turned to me, as if my sigh was so loud that it echoed inside the room.

"What?" he asked, sounding a bit irritated.

I narrowed my eyes on him. "What?"

"I'm the one asking questions here," Victor said, his voice raising slightly.

Glaring at him, I jumped out of the bed and stood up. "You're the one who dragged me here so I have the right to ask questions and your duty is to explain everything to me," I yelled, putting my hands on my hip. I wasn't expecting myself to actually shout at Victor. This was Victor Creed we were talking about. He had killed men and women without even thinking twice and who knew if his conscience even bothered him for ending those lives.

Silence passed. We just held each other's gazes. No one moved and no one even talked.

I told myself that I wouldn't lose to him. I had stood up to him once and I was going to do it again. I wouldn't let him toy around with emotions anymore. I would get some answers because I wanted to and not because I was forced to...

Well, maybe because desperation and situation forced me to get some answers from him but still...

Nevermind.

I would not permit myself to be the first to look away because that would mean I was accepting defeat and that I was letting him have his way all over again. Again, I wouldn't let that happen.

"Daken won't be the only one who's going to hunt you down," Victor finally said, looking away.

...

Wait...

Did he just look away?

He bended under my will.

I had this under control.

I won.

He lost.

The thought brought a smile on my face but then, it quickly disappeared when the short-lived victory burst. "Huh?" I said, foolishly.

Victor went on with the stitching. "If Daken learned about the prophecy, then that means there are others who know about it too. Others, who just like me, stupidly think that they are the one in the prophecy." He snorted but didn't give any snide comment as he usually did.

What?

"Who others?" I asked, sitting down as I realized that my knees felt like it was about to give away under the weight. Why was it that every time I get some answers from Victor I wouldn't like it? I thought back at Daken. Daken wasn't the only one who's going to hunt me down? I wasn't safe anymore. Everyone I knew wasn't safe anymore too. My brain continued to skim through the information I got from Victor.

Victor shrugged. "People like me."

Tell me why I wasn't so surprise to hear that? Daken was only the icing to the cake. There was definitely more to come. Quickly, my mind flew to the safety of my family back at home. The Newtons who were probably living on with their life. Nick who was still studying in New York, away from the warmth of his family. "Will everyone be okay?" I asked. I held my breath for Victor's response but he didn't give me any. "Victor?"

He didn't even want to look me to the eyes. Even without words, I already knew the answer to that. A lump started forming itself down my throat. This wasn't a good sign. "Are they safe or not?" I shouted at him, yet again. His stony silence made my heart pound and my mouth dry. "Jesus!" I cursed, as the tears threatened to reveal themselves. I hadn't seen my mom and dad for a long time. It must had been a year or two since I last saw them. A sudden yearning to see them gnawed at me.

"They're not. They'll be searching for you and they'll do anything to get to you. By now, they are probably messing up your apartment," Victor said. I took a deep breath and tried my hardest to hold back the tears that were choking me. I had to do something to at least save one of them, right? They couldn't probably all be swarming at my parents' house. My home was too far away from here or wherever I was now.

"I know what you're thinking and I think you're an idiot," Victor muttered under his breath as he finished stitching the wound on his arm. He looked up at me with those grey eyes of his. "Don't even think about it."

I glared at him. "Yeah. I'm stupid but so what? I'm stupid enough to even trust you."

That suddenly made Victor stood up. His back facing me and I could see the huge wound on his back. It was still red and I noted that it was cleaned hastily and clumsily. Probably, Victor was the one who cleaned it but since it was on his back, he couldn't do a much better job than that. I sighed. He could had simply asked for help but I quickly pushed those thoughts aside. It was none of my business anyway. If he didn't want my help, then fine. It wasn't like I needed his too.

Victor started to chuckle making me puzzled. He was up to something. I couldn't read his mind but I was with him long enough to know that laugh. It was pure evil. I narrowed my eyes on him and studied him. Even though he wasn't facing me, I could just imagine his signature smirk where his menacing fangs would show up. I shuddered at the thought.

"I hate you," I hissed at him. I didn't want to stay at the same room at him at the moment. I just wanted to run out and go as far from him as I could. I couldn't stand looking at his condescending face. Without even saying much, I already knew that he was laughing at my misfortune right now. That was what he always did. My life was some sort of a movie to him. It entertained him but he did not understand it.

Victor turned around to face me. "I don't."

I dared myself to not look up at him. His response was quite puzzling to me. He didn't hate himself? Was that what he was implying or was he trying to tell me something else? Looking down on my feet, I wondered how fast I could run out of this room and escape Victor's clutches. But then again, I tried that once I ended up meeting another type of demon - Daken. I learned from that mistake and I wasn't foolish enough to do it again. But it made me question myself if I was still safe around Victor. I knew that sooner or later, Victor would do something about the prophecy. I only hoped that he wouldn't get too violent.

"You can hate my all you want, but I won't hate you," Victor went on. He took a step forward but I quickly backed off a bit. I wasn't going to deny it much longer. He always had this effect on me - his scent, his voice, and the way he could make my heart jump.

"Don't even think about it," I snapped at him, looking up to meet his eyes.

The smirk I was expecting to see was nowhere to be found. Instead, I found something else and I just couldn't identify what emotion his face held. But it was one of his expressions that I couldn't get. He didn't show that side of him that much but I found myself seeing it more and more often.

Victor kept on walking forward and I kept moving back until I accidentally tripped and fell back on the bed. My heart was hammering against my chest so rapidly that I could almost hear it. I wouldn't be surprised if Victor could hear it too. I struggled to get off the bed but Victor was quick enough to climbed on it and pinned me in place. His hands clamped around my wrists. Although he was almost squeezing them, his touch was still gentle and cautious as if I was too breakable. He was on top of me and willed me to look straight into his eyes. He wasn't smiling nor did he show any emotions. He just looked at me.

Was this another part of his plans to manipulate me? Or was he doing this to amuse himself once again?

"Why do you hate me so much?" Victor asked, stiffly.

I glared at him. "Because you keep doing this. Now get off me!" I yelled at him.

Slowly, he brought his face closer to mine. "What else?"

The distance between us got smaller and smaller and I was trying very hard to breathe in and out. I was failing.

We fell silent for a moment. My mind was screaming at me to tell him that I hated everything about him. I hated the way he called me Eli. I hated the way he laughed at my misfortune. I hated him because he brought danger upon me and upon everyone I loved. It was all his fault. If he hadn't meddled with my life, I would still be in my apartment studying and working at the bookstore. The Newtons would probably still be in New York so I wouldn't be too lonely anymore. My relationship with Nick wouldn't be too complicated as it was now.

I just hated Victor for ruining my life.

Victor raised an eyebrow. "You're saying something?"

The glare on my face started to fade. _C'mon Elijah, say it. Tell him that he had ruined your life. Tell him that you hate him to the core. Tell him that you..._

"Shhhh..."

Victor's voice pulled me back to reality. What was he shh-ing for? It wasn't like I was saying anything. I looked at him, confused. He was still and tensed up a bit. I could feel every fiber of his muscles stiffen as he strained to listen. That made me all the more curious. I stopped to listen but I heard nothing but the beating of my heart. I was still too nervous and scared at what Victor was about to do.

His face kept on coming closer and closer. When he was so close, I involuntarily closed my eyes and held my breath. For a moment, my mind went blank and I had forgotten all about my anger. Victor's lips brushed against mine and I felt a knot tightened inside my stomach. But then, I felt something touched my chest and realized that Victor had placed his hand on top of it.

"I could feel your heart beating," Victor whispered. "It feels so..._good_." He smirked. He didn't show any plans of taking his hands off my chest so I had to slap it off anyway. But he quickly caught my wrist before I started slapping him off me. I could see that he was enjoying the situation we were in very much. I glared at him once again. It irked me how fast his moods could change. From annoying to sweet and then back to annoying again.

Suddenly, he leaned down once again and planted a soft kiss on my forehead. "It's alright with me if you will hate me," he said. That caught me off guard. I looked at him with a questioning expression. Was it possible that his ego was slowly deflating? He let go of my arm when he realized that I wasn't trying to get away from him. He brushed away a strand of hair from my face. "But please promise me that you won't run away from me."

I blinked. Was this Victor Creed in front of me or was this an alien entity who was disguised as Victor? If only Victor was like that everyday, it was impossible to hate him but since this was one of his very rare moments, it was forgivable. Quietly, he climbed off the bed and started pacing back and forth inside the room.

I sat up and scrutinized him closely. What was he trying to prove?

"You can go to sleep if you want. I'll be on the couch," Victor offered, picking up the needle once again.

I stared at him. I just woke up and he was asking me to go to sleep again? He was the one who looked tired. Not to mention that he was hurt and wounded from the fight with Daken. He should be the one getting some rest. Not me.

He turned towards the couch and started putting some more thread on the needle.

_C'mon Elijah, just say it. _

I took a deep breath and mustered all my courage to will myself to say something. "Do you need any help with that?" I asked, nervously.

Victor looked up. "With what?"

I pointed at the needle he was holding. "With that."

Victor, for a moment, looked thoughtful as he let my words penetrate through his thick skull. "Oh," he said, sounding quite enlighten. He seemed hesitant to let me touch his wounds. He looked at me and then back to the needle. "Are you sure? It isn't such an easy job."

I nodded my head, noting that he was totally getting out of his character. Victor stood up once more and sat on the bed beside me. I straightened up and found a comfortable position for me to sit. He handed me the needle. I took it, shakily but I steadied my hand as soon as I touched it. "Um, where else should I, um, you know..."

Victor faced me. My eyes fell on the deep wound on his chest. It looked scary and painful. I looked up at him. "Is that all?" I asked, hoping that this was the last one. He nodded his head. I sighed. "Okay." I raised my free hand and touched the skin near the wound earning me a growl from Victor. I recoiled a bit.

"No. Sorry. I overreacted," Victor said, looking away from me.

Once again, he was totally out of his character.

I took another gulp of fresh air before I started doing the sewing. I focused all my attention on the work I was doing for fear that I might mess up really badly. As I worked, I wondered why Victor didn't bother going to the hospital. It was a lot more advisable than sewing your own wounds at home especially with these types of wounds. With those thoughts running through my head, I went on with the sewing.

Sewing flesh together wasn't such a bad experience but it wasn't a pleasant one either. With every stitch I made, I could feel the needle passing through the skin. The feeling was a lot different from sewing on cloth. The cloth didn't make me as nervous as sewing on the skin.

Silence surrounded us as I worked. The only noise was Victor's heavy breathing as he suppressed to utter a sound of pain or anything. I almost doubted if he even felt the pain. His breathing had gotten heavier and heavier as the minutes went on. My hand could feel the sweat forming on his skin.

"Are you okay?" I asked, pausing at whatever I was doing and looking up at him. He was still looking away from me but I could see beads of sweat dripping on his forehead. His face looked worn out and his eyes were clamped shut.

"Just get this thing over with," he snarled.

I scowled at him but didn't say anything. There it was again. His old self was returning. I couldn't blame him though. The pain must had been pushing him to the edge. I shoved those thoughts of my mind and went on with my work. The wound on his chest was so long but it was quite wide. I was glad that Victor was wise enough to already clean the wounds because I might not had the guts to do it. I wondered if he howled in pain or anything while he was cleaning the wounds. It would be so interesting if he did.

"Almost done," I informed. After cutting the excess thread, I stood up and put the needle on the table. "Done."

Victor opened his eyes and looked down at his chest. "Not too shabby," he said, judging at my work. It was true anyway. I had successfully close the wound but the stitches were too clumsily made. That made me quite embarrassed. "Sorry about that," I told him. He shook his head and reassured me that it was better than his. Once again, it was true.

Victor stood up and searched for his shirt. He found it lying on the corner near the door. I watched him put it on. Unfortunately, his shirt had buttons all the way down. His hands trembled as he tried to button his shirt up. He was unsuccessful with that.

I sighed and stood up, realizing that I had to take care of him for a while until he had fully recuperated. This time, it was my turn to take care of Victor. I wasn't complaining. I crossed the room to get to him. As I stood in front of him, I took his cold hands and forced them to stay put. When he obliged to do so, I started buttoning him up. I could feel his eyes on me but I ignored the tight knot inside my stomach once again.

I started buttoning him from the bottom and then going up. When I reached the middle, I felt his hand rest on top of mine. I looked up, surprised. "What?" I asked. His hands were so cold that it startled me.

"Thanks," he said, his other hand coming up to stroke my cheek. I dodged a bit, avoiding the contact.

"You're welcome." But I couldn't move on to the next button because of the hand on top of mine. He was trying to tell me something but he just couldn't find the words. It was funny how I was starting to get a hang of his body language. I wasn't so sure if that was a good idea.

The next thing I knew, his other hand was on the back of my head and his lips ferociously on mine. The hand behind my head was pressing me deeper to him and guided me as we kissed. I wasn't new to this, but each time he did this, it felt different. Thinking about it, this was the third time we kissed. And always, it happened in different and odd circumstances.

I felt my body moving on its own as I started pressing myself closer to Victor, feeling him so close to me. I could feel the air in my lungs lessening. I needed to break the kiss to get some air but Victor wouldn't stop. He wouldn't want the magic to end. But I had no choice. I broke away from him, panting from the intensity of the kiss we just shared. But he just didn't stop. His lips were on my jaw, leaving trails of light kisses down to my neck. I was still trying to catch my breath but I didn't dare stop him from what he was doing. I had to admit, it felt really nice.

His hand was at the back of my neck now as he continued to plant kisses on my cheeks, forehead, jaw or neck. He was just everywhere as he waited for me to recover. I found my arms hanging limply at my sides. That was an awkward position and I didn't know where to put my arms. As if reading my mind, Victor took hold of my arms and put them around his neck. I needed to tiptoe a bit just to reach his shoulder. He smirked as he saw my struggle to reach his shoulder. He laughed.

"What?" I asked, feeling quite insulted.

Victor shook his head. "Nothing. I just thought that you look cute with your face like that."

I narrowed my eyes on him. "Why? What's wrong with my face?"

"You're red as a tomato," Victor mused, chuckling once more.

Out of irritation, I was about to take my arms off him but then he was quick enough to stop me from doing so.

"No. We're not quite finished yet," he taunted, suddenly lifting me and bringing me to the bed. He laid me down as gentle as possible and climbed on top of the bed with me. We were back in the position we were from a while ago. He was on top of me in a none threatening way. He was careful not to place his weight on me. Once again, I could feel the knot inside my stomach tighten some more. He buried his face at the base of my throat and started planting soft kisses again.

It brought a smile on my lips as I wrapped my arms around his neck. Suddenly, he froze. I immediately thought that I did something wrong. "What's wrong?" I asked, removing grip around his neck. He looked at me and smiled just a bit.

"I think I need to get some rest," he said,slowly rolling off me and lying on his back beside me. I was quite disappointed but dared not to voice it out. I knew that it would probably end up with him teasing me. I just nodded my head.

"I think so too," I said, standing up and pulling the blanket over him. He looked at me and smirked. "I'm sure you're disappointed," he said, closing his eyes just a little. I forced out a laugh, hoping that I wasn't too obvious.

"Who said anything about that?" I lied, laughing stiffly.

He just smirked.

"Anyways, good night," I told him as I was about to make my way towards the couch but his hand was quick enough to stop me.

"Where are you going?" Victor asked, mischievously.

I acted all innocent and confused. "To the couch. I'm planning to sleep on it."

Victor only laughed. "No. You're going to sleep with me." He moved a bit and pulled me into the bed with him. He didn't need to force me because I was too tired to protest. The excitement was too much to bear. I still needed some sleep but I knew that Victor needed this more than I did. I slipped under the covers of the bed with Victor right beside me. He had his arms around me, as if protecting me from whatever was out there.

I was scared not only for my life but for the lives of the people I loved. Who knew how fast _they _could catch up on me, but there was one thing that prevented me from breaking down from all the pressure.

"I promise that I won't let them touch you. You're already mine," Victor whispered.

I smiled. "I know."

**Well? Like it? Hate it? Please tell me! ^^**

**Current Songs: Promise me and Losing you by Dead by April**


	21. Part TwentyOne: HOME

**HEY GUYS! I'm back, thank God for that. School's coming up in here so update might be impossible for the next months but I will try my best to bring in some updates. I'm in my junior year in high school! OH YEAH! And now, I'm stuck with a question inside my head. DC or Marvel? It's kinda hard to choose. Anyway, please enjoy! ^^**

**By the way, I want to thank all of those who reviewed this story and put it in their alerts or favorites.**

**P.S: I should have updated sooner but I accidentally deleted this chapter three or five times (I've lost count already) so I had to rewrite it again and again. Thus, it sucks because I'm in a very bad mood while typing this. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own these guys. I only own Elijah. **

Part Twenty-One: HOME

I woke up, feeling a little nervous. At first, I didn't move nor did I open my eyes. I just lied down on bed, letting my mind wander off. I took this opportunity to evaluate my life so far. I had been kidnapped three times in a row. I had met a homicidal maniac who had chased me down last night. A little mutant girl had prophesied that I would bear a son who would destroy the Earth, not to mention the father would be another homicidal maniac named Victor Creed. Now, bad guys were coming after me and probably all the people I knew because of that stupid prophecy.

I was so going to blame the kid for this.

I cracked an eye open, noticing that the entire room was still a quite dark. After a few seconds of staring at the ceiling with one eye open, I opened the other one. It was still too early for the sun to be up yet. I tried to sit up but Victor's arm was sprawled on top of me, refraining me from doing so. I turned to look at him, expecting him to be awake but I was quite surprised when I saw his eyes closed. His breathing was even and quite heavy, as if he was having a little difficulty in breathing. His eyebrows were almost knitted together, as if he was troubled by something. It seemed like he wasn't getting a good night sleep.

But hey, at least he wasn't talking.

I looked around the room again, noticing the windows at the left side of the bed. The curtains were drawn but it was obvious that the sun wasn't up yet. I looked around some more until something shiny caught my attention. My eyes fell on the sword Daken had used on Victor. It looked threatening as it just leaned on the wall near the door. I studied the sword, determinedly. What was so special about it? How could it inflict so much damage on Victor even though he had a healing ability? I tried recalling the fight between the two men. Both of them were quite talkative while they were fighting. Almost as if they were used to trying to cut somebody's throat. That made me shudder.

I could recall them saying that Daken had gotten it from his father. Who was his father again? I raked my brain for the name. I was certain that I heard them say his name - or should I say names. Victor mentioned a lot of Daken's aliases that I could barely remember one of them. A name popped out of my mind. Jimmy. That was the only name I could remember. Now, I wondered who Jimmy was? Did I know him? Was he a mutant like Victor? Daken had truly despised his father. Whenever Victor mentioned his father during their fight, Daken would go into a frenzy.

I took another look at the sword. It looked as nobody had used it before. The blade was still so shiny and sharp. It was almost as if last night's fight never occurred. It scared me to think of how many lives it had taken. But its beauty had kept me drawn to it. There was something about it that tempted anyone to touch it and feel its blade. The sword just looked so perfect.

And perfection was what everyone wanted.

"What are you thinking?"

Victor's voice startled me, stopping my train of thoughts. I dared not to look at him because I felt quite embarrassed. I couldn't explain why but I didn't want him to find out what I was thinking. It would make me feel so exposed to him and vulnerable. "Nothing," I lied.

He laughed, his breath brushing along my ear. It made me stiffen at the realization that his lips were almost touching my ear. "Lie," he said, making me shudder. He was acting a bit creepy, but now that I thought of it, he had been acting creepy ever since I met him. Without looking at him, I knew that he was smiling although his voice was really threatening.

I forced out a laugh. I was failing. "Can you prove that?" I asked, pathetically. Subconsciously, I groaned. I felt so stupid. I hated it how he seemed to know when I was lying or not. But I remembered Nick telling me that I was never a good liar.

"Do I need to prove it or should I just force the answer out of you?" Victor whispered to my ear.

Acting on pure instincts, I jumped out of the bed and backed away from him. "P-prove it first!" I stammered, finding it hard to get a good grasp on my voice. I glared at him. It irked me how he could manipulate me so easily. Was I that readable to him?

Victor only smirked. He rolled over to his side and placed his head on his hand. His eyes were roaming my entire body. "First, you clench your fists when you lie." He looked pointedly at my fists. He was correct.

"Second, you get all pump up whenever you lie," he said. "And third, your nose grows longer whenever you lie."

I narrowed my eyes on him. "My nose doesn't grow longer." But unconsciously, I touched my nose to check if Victor was telling the truth. Fortunately, he was only lying. But all the things he said made sense to me. As they said, I wasn't a good liar.

Victor laughed once again. "Now, how about telling me what you're actually thinking?" he mused.

I stuck out my tongue at him. "We're fighting over something that didn't make sense while knowing that outside this room, everyone I know isn't safe," I snapped at him, feeling the same dreary feeling settle inside my chest. Seeing the look that fell on Victor's face made me regret the words that stumbled out of my mouth. Stupid Elijah. Sometimes, my mouth would get the better of me as if it had a mind of its own.

The smile on Victor's face disappeared. "There's nothing much you can do about it," he said, seriously. It seemed like my words had set him to a bad mood. He rolled to his back and closed his eyes, telling me that our conversation was going to be over as soon as it just started.

I glared at him, biting my tongue to prevent myself from saying something foolish again. Obviously, I could do nothing about it but he had the ability to save those people I loved. But now that I thought of it, it wouldn't be that easy.

I walked towards the couch at the other side of the room. It didn't feel right to lie down beside Victor right now. There was something about the thing he said that had cut through me really deeply. He had a point. I was too weak to protect anyone. My enemies would probably as powerful as Daken or even more powerful. I had no powers or whatsoever to stop them.

I sat on the couch as I thought of everything that had happened to me the passed few days. I had been kidnapped by a group of mutants called X-men. And then, I was dragged by Victor to unknown places twice in a row. Next, I learned that I was to have a child with Victor Creed who would was destined to destroy the world. Finally, I was informed that all kinds of villains would hunt me down along with all the people I knew.

So far, life was good.

A sigh escaped my lips. It was then that I realized how tiring my life was. Before, it was so boring. I did the same routine everyday but ever since I met Victor, everything had changed. I watched the rise and fall of Victor's chest as he breathed steadily. It seemed like he had already fallen asleep. His wounds still didn't look good but it was in a much better condition than it were last night.

Suddenly, an image of the kiss we shared last night popped out of my head. I had to admit that when he kissed me, it felt so surreal. Whenever his lips touched mine, I would forget all my anger and all my problems. My mind would go blank and the next thing I knew, I would feel like I was transported to another world. It was always like that. Even though I would hate to admit it to myself, I couldn't deny that I enjoyed our kiss.

But what if we went beyond that?

...

I wouldn't even want to think of it.

Heat crept to my cheeks as an idea penetrated through my thick skull. Quickly, my hands flew to cover my reddening cheeks and willed myself to think of another subject. I couldn't let myself get too lose around Victor. The thought of fulfilling the prophecy because I was too careless would weigh down on me. It was a burden too much for me to carry. I couldn't live the rest of my life knowing that.

"Just go to sleep, Eli," Victor suddenly said, interrupting me with the silent rambling going on inside my head. I narrowed my eyes on him. I thought that he had fallen asleep. Why wasn't he sleeping?

I cleared my throat as I tried to regain my composure. "Yeah. Sure. I'm going to sleep on the couch," I told him, leaning back and moved about until I found a comfortable spot. I didn't even bother getting a blanket or a pillow. I was contented with that cramped position.

I closed my eyes and willed myself to sleep. I had a nagging feeling that Victor would strongly disagree to my choice of place to sleep but it was my right to choose where I would sleep. When my whole body had started to relax, I felt like I was floating along with the clouds. I knew that it was the first step to entering dreamland. I few more minutes and I would be snoring.

**XxXxXxXxXxXx****XxXxXxXxXxXx****XxXxXxXxXxXx****XxXxXxXxXxXx**

I dreamed of Victor holding my hand as we ran through an endless black tunnel. He kept on shouting at me not to look back and I was fighting the strong urge to turn around and check out what or who was following us. We just kept running towards the light with his hand gripping mine so tightly. My sides were burning and my lungs felt like they were about to burst. I couldn't go on anymore. No matter how near the light looked like, I knew that it was still out of our reach.

"You can do it," Victor urged me. "Run faster." He pulled me with me but my hand felt like slipping from his grasp. I couldn't take it any longer. Who was following us anyway? Ignoring Victor's warning, I turned to look back and realized that there was no one there behind us.

Victor suddenly stopped running and faced me. He had a smirk on his face, almost as if he was mocking me. In fact, he had been mocking me, making me run for my life when in fact no one was chasing me.

"I trusted you," I yelled at him, accusingly as I tried to get away from him. Unluckily, his grip on my hand was too tight for me to make him let go of me.

"If you trusted me, you shouldn't have looked back," Victor said, still smirking. "You should trust me more."

Before I could say anything else, I was jerked back to reality.

The dream ended leaving me clueless and confused.

**XxXxXxXxXxXx****XxXxXxXxXxXx****XxXxXxXxXxXx****XxXxXxXxXxXx**

I opened my eyes and looked around. My mind was still filled with the residue from my recent dream. It wasn't really disturbing but it was puzzling. It was telling me something but I just couldn't get it. Was it telling me to trust Victor more? I sighed. Even in my dreams, Victor was still a very hard man to understand.

Speaking of the devil…..

Where was he?

The bed was empty but disarranged. The door was slightly open and the whole room was so quiet and still. Could it be that he left me here in this alien place all alone with no one to defend me if ever a bad guy entered the room? He didn't even bother locking the door when he left. He should have known better than leave the door open when I was alone in the room—asleep.

As the fog of drowsiness was lifted, I stood up and walked towards the door to close it. My body felt quite stiff from sleeping in a very cramp position but as I took one step forward, I feel my muscles relaxing. When I reached the door, I decided to look around. I opened the door a little wider and poked my head out. Outside was a poorly lit corridor. There were more doors lined on the walls and the white walls weren't so white anymore. It was deserted, making it safe for me to snoop around. Well, I couldn't blame people if they didn't want to stay here. It wasn't exactly the best place to check in.

I stepped out of the room, deciding to search for Victor. The thought of being left alone in the room scared me, especially since there were people hot on my trail. Victor should have known better than leave me alone. But now that I thought of it, he never really cared about safety. He was the daring and reckless type. It was hard to understand how his mind worked.

In fact, I never really understood him.

Passing by several doors, I realized that the whole place was so quiet. There were no signs of people staying over. I turned right, seeing a staircase that went down. I didn't know where it lead but it was the only way I could go to because in front of me was a dead end. Shrugging, I headed downstairs. As I was making my way downstairs, I was greeted with hushed voices. Quickly, the voices registered inside my head. It was Victor's voice. I could recognize his smooth, low voice anywhere. The next voice was a little familiar but I couldn't quite grasp whose voice it was. It was a bit husky with a thick accent- a Cajun.

"You! The old _homme_ may have forgotten to mention that it is you who I'm going to work with!" the man with the thick accent exclaimed.

Someone chuckled. I instantly knew that it was Victor. His laugh was always like that. "Surprise?" he sneered.

"Of course I am."

I hurried my pace until I finally reached the bottom of the stairs. There I saw a very plain looking lobby. There was a counter in the middle of the room and a bored looking man sat behind it. There were couches and chairs arranged at very corner of the room for visitors to sit on. There were lame looking vases with plastic flowers in it. There wasn't anything special in it, but it looked better than the actual rooms.

In one of the chairs at the corner of the room, I spotted Victor sitting across a man whose back was turned on me. I decided that it wasn't the right time yet to reveal myself so I didn't move and just listened to their conversation.

"So?" Victor asked, leaning back a bit. An amused expression fleeted on his face.

The man shrugged. "_Nous n'y pouvons rien_."

Victor raised an eyebrow. "Say one more French word and I'm gonna pull your goddamn head off. I don't speak French!"

This time, it was the man who laughed. "_Oui, mon ami. _I know," he said, raising both his hands up as if he was surrendering. "But business is business. Here you go." The man threw a backpack to Victor who immediately caught it with only one hand.

Victor grinned. "You've got everything in here?"

"Yeah. The old _ho-_"

Before the man could utter another French word, Victor bared his teeth at him. The man paused.

"I think I didn't catch your words quite correctly," Victor said, dangerously. He used his index finger to pretend that he was cleaning his ear. "You were saying?"

The man chuckled. "The old man made sure that I get everything packed for her. Her clothes, underwear-"

Victor suddenly sat up straight. A look of profound interest made its way to his face. "What does it look like?" he asked, slyly. His eyes abruptly darted towards the direction to where I was hiding. For a moment, it seemed like our eyes met for a brief second before I stepped back and hid myself behind the wall. Was it possible that he knew that I was there or was it just coincidence.

"Well, I had to admit. You should buy your girlfriend a new set of underwear. She's like an old lady," the man said, shaking his head in a disapproving manner. Heat crept to my cheeks when I realized who they were talking about. It was me. Whoever this man was, he had broken into my apartment and had taken my stuff! How dare he did that?

Victor chuckled. "Not surprise at all," he mused.

A wave of annoyance came over me. Stupid Victor. Was he insulting me? I wasn't like an old lady. It was called conservative and anyway, I was living in a tight budget! In the first place, who cared what underwear I wear. It was not like they could see it.

"Well then, until next time," the man said, standing up and heading out of the place. As he turned around, I finally get to see his face. My mouth dropped open when I recognized him. It was the guy who stole my wallet. What was his name again? Rambo? Remus? Red? Remy?

The man was wearing the same long coat he wore when I first met him as well as the hat and the sunglasses. I wondered what was he hiding behind those sunglasses. It gave him a mysterious atmosphere.

That was definitely him! The man called Gambit. If I wasn't mistaken, he was the guy who asked me and Rogue who Magneto was. But why was he here? Was he working with Victor?

No. The two of them were surprised to see each other so they weren't expecting to be working together. Although, that meant they had known each other before and their first meeting wasn't exactly friendly. This was Victor Creed we were talking about anyway, so I knew that they weren't exactly the best of friends.

Gambit was already gone and the bored man behind the counter didn't even seem to notice. He was too absorbed staring at the air. Victor was still seated on the couch with a very huge and devious smile on his face. He was looking straight at me. Without looking away from the wall in which I was hiding, he placed the bag beside him and motioned for me to come forward and give myself in. I let out a frustrated sigh knowing that I had no choice but to obliged to his order. Mustering the deadliest glare I could, I stomped my way towards him. I wasn't afraid of him anymore. Why was I hiding in the first place?

I stood in front of him with my arms crossed. My eyebrows furrowed as I narrowed my eyes on him. "What was _he _doing here? I thought no one should know where we are?" I asked, angrily.

Victor tutted. "Eavesdropping is bad," he cooed, ignoring my question. He was completely indignant with the fact that I was quite annoyed. Especially since I already knew that Gambit was a very slippery and cunning guy. Working with him might end us up in a very bad situation.

"I know that you won't mind since you always do that yourself," I snapped at him.

Victor just chuckled. "Sit down," he ordered, patting the place beside him. The bag was at his other side. I stood firmly on the ground. No way would I sit down beside him. I wouldn't even want to be caught dead sitting with him on a loveseat. The grin on Victor's face widened. "Fine," he said, grabbing my arm and pulling me down to sit beside him. I didn't have much choice but land on the couch. Once again, he earned another glare from me.

"Here," he said, handing me the bag.

I raised an eyebrow. So my speculations were correct. I felt the heat rising to my cheeks again. Quickly, I zipped the bag open and peered inside. It was filled with my clothes. I glanced at Victor who was also sneaking a peek at the contents of the bag. I closed the bag before Victor could get his eyes on something very personal. "I hoped he didn't steal anything from my house," I said, stiffly trying to cover up my embarrassment. I couldn't bear to think of a stranger getting to see my underwear and even get to lay his hands on them.

Victor laughed. "There's nothing interesting enough to be stolen at your apartment," he stated. Once again, I glared at him. But it was the truth. All my savings were safely put in the bank but it wasn't much anyway. And I never leave behind my money in the apartment.

"How did he get these?" I asked.

Victor shrugged. "I'm not a thief. He's the expert on this. You ask him."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Too bad the other guys didn't catch up on him," I mumbled. "Who asked him to get my things anyway?"

"Magneto."

My eyes widened and I looked up at him. "Him? But why?"

Victor suddenly looked grave. "That's because we won't be coming back to New York for a long time."

I was confused. Why was this Magneto guy helping us? I thought he wasn't a nice guy to bump into. Victor must have noted the question on my face so he simply smirked at me. "How about we pay a visit to your parents?"

A smile lit up on my face. This must have been the first good news I had heard in the last few months.

I was coming home...

**Oooookay. I'm not satisfied with my work...so that means I have to update NOW. Anyway, please review. ^^**

******Current Songs: Darkness and Things I Never Said b**y Before The Curtain. (They're new and I haven't heard their full songs but one thing is for sure. I WANT MORE.) :3


	22. Part TwentyTwo: OVER AND OVER

**HEY GUYS! Today is the first day of class and I'm dreading the day when I won't be able to update anymore. But fear not! I will make time to continue this story because I'm having a blast while writing this. Anyways, there's nothing much going on in here but I still hope that you'll enjoy.  
**

**By the way, thanks for you guys who reviewed in the last chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not known the X-men. **

Part Twenty-Two: OVER AND OVER

"Don't you dare let your mind wander off while I take a shower," I shouted Victor who was lazily lying on top of the bed, looking at his claws with disinterest in his eyes. He was obviously bored and when he suggested I take a shower, it made me doubt that he wouldn't do anything.

He tore his gaze off his claw-like nails and looked up at me. "And what makes you think I'm a perverted man?" he mused.

I narrowed my eyes on him. "Because you're you. So don't even think about it," I yelled. I picked up my bag and headed towards the bathroom. I really needed a shower. I didn't feel so good and the thought of having warm water washing over me was very tempting. I checked the lock on the bathroom. It was broken. My eyes widened. Oh come on! Couldn't a tired girl like me get to have a warm bath without having to worry about a perverted man going inside the bathroom? I had a feeling that Victor chose this room on purpose because of the broken lock on the bathroom door.

"GET OUT!" I exploded, throwing my bag at him and forcing him out of the room. I kept on pushing and shoving him out of the room and he wasn't helping. His weight slowed me down but I had successfully pushed him out of the room. "AND STAY OUT!" I slammed the door to his face as hard as I could.

When the messy job was done, I let out a sigh of relief. I could finally take a shower. Happily, I trudged to the bathroom and closed the door behind me. I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the warm spray of water. I was thankful for the warmth of the water and just let it hit my face. My muscles started relaxing and I closed my eyes. This felt so good.

It was like that for a few minutes. My shower took longer than expected but it was worth it. It wasn't like I was in a hurry or anything, although I was very much excited because we would be going to my parents. It must have been a year or two since I last saw them. But fear gripped me when another thought entered my head. Victor was going to be there when we would visit my parents. He could certainly act like an ass around them and just the thought of it made me feel jittery and nervous. He wasn't exactly the best person I would want to introduce to my parents. And also, what would the others think if I bring him to my house? They would definitely conclude that the two of us were dating. I couldn't let my image be destroyed.

Turning off the shower, I grabbed a towel and started drying myself. After that, I wrapped it around my body. I opened the door slightly and looked around. Victor hadn't gotten inside yet. Thank God for that. Silently, I crossed the room and went to my bag where I started pulling out the clothes I would wear for the day. Just as I was about to take the towel off me, the door opened and there stood Victor Creed.

I froze. My hands were touching the towel but good thing I hadn't taken it off yet. Victor was looking straight at my eyes. He didn't look surprise. He just had a blank expression on his face although I could see a sliver of amusement in his eyes. We held eye contact for a while, neither of us moving or knowing what to do next. My heart was pounding painfully against my chest. It was as if my mind wasn't registering anything. A few more seconds and still no one moved or said anything.

The next thing I knew, I found my voice and started screaming at the top of my lungs.

But Victor was quick enough to run over to me and clasped as his hand over my mouth. "Shhh..." he said, his lips so close to my ear.

My back stiffened as I felt his body pressed behind mine. His right hand was on my mouth while the other was resting on my hip. A stampede stirred inside me. He was too close and it was making me uncomfortable especially since I was wearing nothing beneath the towel.

"You look nice," he said, smirking a bit.

I pulled away from him and mustered a fierce glare on my face. "Get out!" I said, firmly. It was no use shouting at him because that was what I had been doing for the thousandth time. He was stubborn as always. I saw no point in wasting my voice and time in yelling at him. He didn't budge nor did he show any signs of listening to me. His eyes were still on me and I felt my face getting redder and redder. It scared me. I wouldn't even want to discover what was running inside his head. I picked up my clothes and walked towards the bathroom. "Don't you even dare open this door," I snapped at him, trying my best to sound brave and composed when in fact it was the exact opposite.

He only grinned.

As I closed the door behind me, I heard Victor laughing at the other side of the door. It made me shudder and my body started to tingle all over. Once again, I feared Victor might do something really foolish. As fast as I could, I put on my clothes and dried my hair as best as I could. Something tempted me to stay inside the bathroom forever and never look at Victor ever again.

I leaned on the sink as I studied my face on the mirror. I still looked the same. My straight, blond hair was still quite wet. It had grown longer but it still looked the same. My dark brown eyes stared back at me. My appearance hadn't changed, but I felt so different.

Suddenly, a sharp pain protruded through my head. I felt so dizzy and nauseous. I didn't dare to move as I hoped that the dizziness would pass but worsened. The earth spinning in front of my eyes. I shut my eyes tightly, hoping that it would stop after a few seconds. Unconsciously, I staggered back and accidentally slammed the back of my head to the wall. A dull ached throbbed at the back of my head. It wasn't helping. I slid down to the floor and just covered my eyes with my hands. I couldn't stop myself from gritting my teeth.

A knock came on the door and it sounded like thunder to me. "What's taking you so long? We're leaving, remember?" Victor said.

I wanted to say something to him. I wanted to shout for help but exhaustion was taking over my entire body. My voice was no use because I couldn't bring myself to open my mouth.

There was silence from the other side of the door. I feared that he might have left already.

"If you won't say anything, I'll go in there," he threatened. A wave of relief came over me. Victor was going to save me. That was one thing for sure. I heard a growl from behind the door, obviously coming from Victor. I took note of his frustration because I wasn't saying anything.

Wait a minute...

The pain was gone as well as the dizziness. That made me puzzled. What was that all about? I opened my eyes and looked around. It was then that I realized that I was already lying down the tiled floor. My body was in an odd angle.

"Fine. I'm coming in," Victor shouted, impatiently. He barged in the bathroom, almost stepping on me at the process. Luckily, he noticed me. He had a look of mock on his face. "Well well. Look at what we have here," he cooed, getting down on one knee and hovering over me.

I tried glaring at him but to no avail, my whole body felt numb. I could feel my hands, my feet, my mouth or anything. I could hear my heart hammering against my chest but aside from that, I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't move any part of my body except for my eyes. Panic gripped me tightly. What the heck was happening to me?

Victor tilted his head to one side. His eyes roamed all over my body with shrewd eyes. I felt uncomfortable under his intent gaze but I didn't have time to dwell on that. I was in deep trouble. I couldn't move my body. It was as if I was paralyzed. "What's wrong?" he asked. His hand grasped my hand and felt my pulse. "Good news, you're still alive." He let go of my hand and moved over to look straight to my eyes. "Can you move?"

I wanted to shook my head or yell at him. Of course I couldn't! If I could move, I wouldn't be lying like this. Calmly, I blinked my eyes twice, hoping that he would get my answer. I knew Victor wasn't probably the smartest guy I knew but something told me he would understand me.

Victor let out a sigh. Without saying a word, he slipped his arms beneath me and lifted me up from the floor. I leaned on him limply, making me look like a rag doll. This was just so stupid. Could someone explain to me what just happened?

He placed me on top of the bed. For a while, he didn't say anything. I couldn't blame him. My current situation was very puzzling and my brain could not produce a plausible explanation to why I couldn't move my entire body. He had his arms crossed and he studied me under his very keen eyes. "It looks like someone has followed us here," he said. "Must have been done by a telepath."

A telepath? Was there a mutant hanging around this place? Did that mean we weren't safe the whole time?

"He must be nearby," Victor mumbled to himself, engrossed with his thoughts.

I could hear my heart beating so fast. I tried calming myself down. Victor was with me. Nothing could definitely hurt me. My heart started to slow down. That was right. I shouldn't be afraid because Victor was with me. He promised me that he wouldn't let anyone touch me.

Suddenly, Victor snapped out of his trance and violently stood up. His entire body tensed. "Goddamn it!" he snarled as he stared at the wall near the door. His outburst had caught me off guard. Whatever he was thinking, it didn't sound so good.

"Where's the sword?" Victor asked, turning around to face me.

My eyes widened. The sword? Why was he asking me? I was the one who couldn't move!

Victor hissed out another curse and wildly looked around. There was no signs of the sword. Someone had stolen it. And I had a feeling that whoever stole it was the same person who was doing this to me. I watched Victor as he got into one of his rages. He started growling and throwing things as he went back and forth inside the room, not knowing what to do. The same fast pace came back to hunt my heart. Whoever had the sword could have the power to kill Victor and also me.

"Stay here," Victor told me, running out of the room in search for the culprit.

STUPID VICTOR? He left me just like that! I was defenseless for Christ's sake. The bad guy could easily kidnap me or even kill me. I wanted to scream or thrash around but I could barely feel my body. It was as if I was only a floating head. I looked around. The slightest movement made my heart stop. I was so scared. Panic was settling down inside my stomach but tried my best to think calmly. If I let fear take over me, I wouldn't be able to think clearly.

I heard the door open and I could almost feel my heart bursting. My instincts told me that it wasn't Victor who just entered the room. I braced myself for whatever horror that may come next.

"Good morning."

A woman's voice pulled me out of my gruesome thoughts. A woman?

I looked at my left side where the source of the voice was coming from. My eyes widened when my eyes landed on a naked woman with blue, reptile-like skin and yellow eyes. Her hair was red making her head looked like it was on fire. Why did I have a feeling that I had seen her somewhere? She stood beside the bed I was lying on top of. She looked at me, haughtily. I had a feeling that she wasn't the type who would help me in this pitiful state I was in.

"Seems like you've caught yourself in a huge mess," she purred, seductively.

I would gladly throw a sarcastic comment at her statement but it was impossible in my current situation.

She sat on top of the bed and patted the top of my head. "Victor isn't taking care of you properly," she mused. She giggled a bit. "Nothing new about that." Standing up, she moved towards the door and closed it.

I took that as a bad sign. Where was Victor when I needed it?

As soon as the door closed, she turned to me with a very mischievous smile on her face. "Oh, how rude of me to not introduce myself," she said, walking over to my bed once again. "They call me Mystique. Don't worry, you don't have to say your name. I know it already. You've been quite famous around where I came from." She laughed. "To be honest, I'm getting a little jealous about it."

I narrowed my eyes on her. Without even knowing who she was, I already knew that she was one of _them._ But of course, she couldn't probably do anything about the prophecy. She was a woman. So what was she doing here? What did she want from me?

As if reading my mind, Mystique shook her head. "Don't worry. I don't want anything from you. I just wanted to see what Victor will do," she said, sitting down on the couch. "Oh, and sorry about that. It will wear off in a couple of minutes." There was a pause. "I cannot think of a creative way to test him." She shrugged as if that reason was acceptable.

If I could only move, I would have gladly strangle her. Who on Earth would poison someone just to come up with a _creative test_? That sounded stupid and very evil. Evil indeed. I wondered how long would I not be able to move. I would definitely want to get my hands on her.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Mystique said, standing up all of a sudden and locking the door.

I stared at her incredulously. Why was she locking the door? WHY WAS SHE LOCKING THE DOOR?

Mystique smirked at me. "You'll see."

"ELIJAH!" someone bellowed from outside. The voice was so loud that it could almost shake the whole building. The smile on Mystique's face widened. "Here he comes." She walked back to the couch and sat down. As soon as she sat down, her entire body seemed to ripple as if her skin was rearranging themselves. I watched her in awe and fear. What was happening?

In a blink of an eye, Mystique was gone and a man sat on the couch. The man was stocky and short with a very weird hairstyle. The perpetual glare on his face was there. I recognized that face. That was Logan or Wolverine as they called him. But what was he doing here? Where did Mystique go? As those thoughts pounded my head, there was a violent knocking on the door.

Victor was coming.

Logan laughed. I hadn't seen him laugh but there was something off with him. There was something feminine with his actions. Something was not right. I studied him until realization hit me. Mystique had changed her appearance and copied Logan's. SHE WAS A FREAKING MUTANT!

I heard a frustrated growl from the other side of the door and the next thing I knew, the door flew and crashed on the wall. Splinters of woods came flying around. Luckily, I wasn't hit by anything.

Victor had an angry look on his face. His eyes landed on me and a flash of concern glinted in his eyes.

"What took you so long?" Logan asked.

What remained of Victor's humanity was threw out of the window when his eyes landed on Mystique-Disguised-As-Logan. Pure burning hatred etched on his face. His face was getting red. I could just imagine his blood boiling. His claw-like nails started to grow rapidly. I knew that stance. This was the start of a fight.

**Well? Haha. Sorry for leaving you all hanging but I just love being evil. D Anyways, please review.**

**P.S: I can't find the perfect song for this chapter but I remembered the song Over and Over by Three Days Grace and thought that it was quite fitting to this chapter because Elijah always gets in trouble and Victor will always come to save her. ^^**


	23. Part TwentThree: THINGS I NEVER SAID

**Ya. So I'm really not contented with my last chapter because I was really uninspired by then but now, I hope that you'll like it. ^^ By the way, school sucks as always. I'm still too lazy to listen to my teachers. D:**

**Disclaimer: Sabertooth, Mystique and Logan are not mine.**

Part TwentyThree: THINGS I NEVER SAID

Pure Hatred. That was the only thing I saw in Victor's eyes. It was burning so intensely that I might not have believed that such hatred exist if I hadn't witness this. His face was tight and his whole body was rigid. It was terrifying. Mystique-Disguised-As-Logan stood up and smirked. "Hello Victor," she/he said, her voice sounded exactly like Logan's.

It was a wrong move though. I hadn't known Logan for a long time but I knew that he would never do such thing especially if he was faced with Victor. I could imagine Victor smirking at every enemy he had. But Logan? It was an impossible dream.

Victor's glare deepened when he noticed the unusual manner. I knew that Victor wasn't stupid although there were some special occasions where he would act like one. His nose seemed to twitch a bit. It seemed like he had caught on Mystique's scent. His expression rapidly shifted from hatred to confusion. But before he could figure it out, Mystique-Disguised-As-Logan lunged at him. No claws popped out of his knuckled. I almost rolled my eyes at Mystique's obvious flaws. It was evident that she hadn't thought this through. Logan always had his claws out.

Victor ducked, avoiding the supposedly dreadful impact from Mystique-Disguised-As-Logan. She had hit the wall but quickly recovered. She had a very sly smile on her face-or should I say, Logan's face.

"Are you seriously mocking me?" Victor hissed. By the way he talked, he was definitely pissed. His eyes narrowed on Mystique-Disguised-As-Logan. He had noticed it. He had figured her out. The thought brought a smile on my lips. Mystique was going down.

As those thoughts floated inside my head, I could slowly start to feel my arms, my feet and later on every part of my body. It seemed like the poison had worn off. That was fast. I wasn't expecting to recover this quickly. I successfully propped up to my elbows and watched intently as Victor stared down at Mystique-Disguised-As-Logan. No one moved. This was peculiar. The intensity from a while ago was gone. Instead. there was something different and I couldn't place my finger on it. It was my turn to be puzzled.

"What are you talking about?" Mystique asked, feigning innocence. Straightening up, she walked over to Victor. Her skin seemed to start rearranging themselves to change her entire appearance. From Logan, she looked just like me.

What the heck?

Was she playing with me?

I glared at her and tried to stand up but I staggered back and fell down on top of the bed. It seemed like whatever she had put in me was still at work. She did mention that she didn't want anything from me. She just wanted to test Victor so she found no reasons to kill me. At least I knew that I wasn't going to die after this. The thought had comforted me but the thought of her looking exactly like me still irked me.

Victor's face contorted from being pissed to an unidentified expression . His face held disgust as if he was burdened with another unimportant thing. And once again, it seemed like I was the only who just couldn't get a good grasp of the situation. But I was quick enough to know that there would be no fight. Both of them seemed to know each other and I felt a little bit left out. They were both villains, surely they must had worked together at least once or at least met each other. It made me feel like I was only the third wheel.

"Real funny," Victor grumbled. The tensed atmosphere had deteriorated although Victor was still a bit peeved by Mystique's presence. It was impossible to ignore the usual glare on his face.

Mystique-Disguised-As-Me walked sensuously towards him. Her hand went up from behind Victor's neck and brought her face close to his. Once again, her _very rude_gesture made me feel like I wasn't even there. It was as if they were from another planet and I just so happened to be watching them in the television. I tried hard to compose myself and calm down the stampede stirring inside me. Watching them, it made me realize how Victor was still a stranger to me. I didn't know anything about his past. I didn't even know anything about him except for some things he had told me. My stomach dropped as I realized that Victor must had met a lot of women like Mystique.

Instantly, I felt heat rising up to my face. Was I getting jealous?

No way. I promised myself that I wouldn't get too involve with him. We weren't even dating! I didn't even know what our relationship was. Sure we kissed a couple of times but it was just a kiss. It didn't mean anything...

Or did it?

I put on the scariest glare i could muster. Yeah right. I was not jealous. He had his life and I had mine. I didn't have the right to meddle with his.

_But he's meddling with yours_, a voice popped out of my head.

That voice was right. I gritted my teeth as anger filled me. After dragging me to several dangerous circumstances, he would just pretend that I wasn't at the same room as him and continue on with whatever he was doing with this irritating woman! Where was justice?

But despite my anger, I was fully aware that I was in a very awkward situation. I honestly didn't know what to do and where to look at since the sight in front of me was definitely not something pleasant to look at. In fact, it made me sick.

And this was me not jealous. Take note of my sarcasm.

Abruptly, Victor pulled away from Mystique who had now returned to her original form. Rudely, he shoved her away from him and turned to look at me. He had a very smug smirk on his face as if he had done something he was proud of. "Jealous?" he asked, as if reading my mind.

My glare only deepened when he said those words. Part of me was angry at him because he was correct and the other part of me was mad at him because he seemed so insensitive and ignorant of my feelings. OF COURSE I WAS JEALOUS! Mystique was practically throwing herself at him and she wasn't wearing any clothes on.

"Why would I be?" I asked, stiffly. I looked away from him and crossed my arms together. Admitting that I was jealous would only inflate his ego. That was the worst possible thing that could happen in this situation.

At the corner of my eye, I saw Mystique smiling slyly at me. Just looking at her made my blood boil. How dare she poison me just so she could flirt with Victor! It wasn't like I would care, but still, I hated her guts.

Victor only laughed. "I wonder what you put in her, Mystique," he mused, looking at the blue-skinned woman. I wouldn't even want to speak of her name.

"Oh, something that won't kill her...instantly," she said, slowly walking towards the couch and sat down. Her yellow, cat-like eyes were on me and I felt like she wasn't kidding when she said that. The fear must had been evident in my eyes.

"Don't worry, Mystique isn't that type of person who will poison someone without a reason," he reassured. As if that would help.

"What does she want?" I said, not looking at the two of them.

Victor shrugged. "Just checking. Making sure that I hadn't killed you off. Magneto's very concern," Victor said. "And anyway, we'll need her to get us to your parents."

I looked up, surprised at what he said. We needed her? I didn't even want her so how could I even need her? No one was asking for her help and anyway, my home was only a few hours away from here. We could always use the bus. I narrowed my eyes on Victor, checking if he was lying. He really knew how and when to push my buttons. He enjoyed seeing me pissed. Without him saying it, I could almost see pass his smile. He was probably the worst sadist ever. Seeing people sad or irritated was some sort of an amusement for him. Well, I supposed that was why he chose to be a villain instead of a hero.

Although, I had noticed that he had found a new hobby. It seemed like he loved saving me. That wasn't such a bad thing but it made me feel like I owe him my life or something. I knew that he would somehow use that against me if I would decide to get away from him.

But did I really want to run away from him?

"So far, your parents are still safe. They haven't tracked them down yet," Mystique suddenly spoke up. She had now crossed her legs as she sat. I looked at her disapprovingly although her news made me feel better and reassured. I just hoped that I could get to them first and explain everything to them before the others would come. At least I could be able to warn them.

"And why is she here again?" I asked, looking at Victor. It was no secret. I despised Mystique. She was everything I hated.

Victor grinned wolfishly. "She's going to fly the jet."

"Jet?"

"Of course you cannot expect boarding a bus without attracting the attention of the X-men or the others, don't you think?" Mystique rejoined. I glared at her. Didn't her parents ever tell her that butting in a conversation wasn't polite? Nevertheless, I kept my mouth shut.

But now that I thought of it, she had a point.

"Fine. We'll go on a jet but I warn you, I'm not really good with heights," I told them, gravely.

"We'll see about that," Victor said, leaning forward so that our foreheads touched together. I pushed him away.

Stupid Victor….

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

At first, I thought that they weren't exaggerating when they said that we were going on a jet. Because in the first place, we would they park such a thing without attracting too much attention from passersby and probably, as well as the police. But Victor reassured me that the jet was definitely our only ticket back to my hometown.

The place where Victor had dragged me into was a lone building in the middle of nowhere. There were no more buildings surrounding it but there was a huge highway in front. No cars passed by.

"So where's the jet?" I asked, skeptically. I looked around. There was nothing. Just a highway in front, a lone building and a vast empty parking space.

"Right here," Mystique said, stopping abruptly. I was just right behind her so I accidentally bumped into her.

And where was here?

Victor stood beside me. Our shoulders were touching and thus I stepped away from him. I was still mad at him. "Tricked the X-men?" he said, looking at Mystique for confirmation. She only smiled.

What's with villains and smiling? Boy, they did love smiling a lot.

"Nope. I had other plans," Mystique said, mischievously.

What the heck were they talking about? If they were referring to the jet which I couldn't see, then there must be something wrong with them. I couldn't see any jet. The parking lot was empty.

As if reading my mind, Victor stretched out his hand, as if he was reaching for something. He looked dumb since there was obvious nothing there. But there was a light thump when his hands fell on top of something in midair. "See that?"

See what? But before I could voice out my question, a sleek black jet just so happened to materialized in front of my very own eyes. They almost bulged out of their sockets as I watched in awe as the jet slowly revealed itself, as if it had been covered by an invisible cloak. This was just so insane. I didn't even know that such a thing exist. An invisible jet? AN INVISIBLE JET? Surely this was too big to keep a secret.

I watched as a ramp went down slowly from the rear of the jet. Mystique walked to it and didn't even look back to check if we were following. This all seemed so surreal. Was I hallucinating or something?

"Don't worry, you're still sane," Victor said, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the ramp. I hesitated, planting my feet firmly on the ground, hoping that I would be immovable but my plan failed. Victor was too strong for me.

"I can't go in there!" I shouted, struggling to get away from Victor's strong hands.

Victor rolled his eyes. "As you can see, I'm not really a very patient person so tell me what the hell is your problem?" he snapped back. He still didn't stop dragging me towards the jet.

"As I said, I'm afraid of heights!" I stated, adamantly. I already told him that a while ago. Couldn't it penetrate through his thick head?

He chuckled. I always knew that his chuckles weren't a good a sign. "Don't worry, it's not like I'll let you go near the windows," he said. His pulls were getting rougher now.

I shook my head, ardent on my decision. "NO!"

"What now?" Victor growled, finally giving up on me and letting go of my hands. Although he sounded pissed, he still had that amused look on his face. That made me scowl at him. I was acting like a spoiled child but who cared?

"I can't get in there," I said, stubbornly.

He cocked his head to one side. "Are you afraid that you'll start puking your insides out once this thing starts flying?" he asked.

Damn it. How did he know that?

I didn't say anything, just stared straight at his eyes.

He shrugged. "Fine."

Wait? That was it? He wasn't going to mercilessly drag me towards the jet? I raised an eyebrow, completely befuddled at his odd reaction.

"I guess I just have to do this," he said, sighing as if he was going to do something which was unpleasant. Without warning, he lifted me and slung me on his shoulder, as if I was just a sack of potatoes. The shock was written all over my face and I started cursing him at the top of my lungs. This was so unfair! This was harassment! This was illegal! I used my fists to pound on his back. This was also humiliating.

"Cut the crap and quit whining," Victor groaned as we both went inside the jet. Mystique was waiting for us inside and she, too, had the same amused expression on her face.

"How sweet," she said, rolling her eyes and turning her back on us. I suddenly had the strangest feeling of triumph as I watched her heading towards the front of the jet. I had made her green with envy.

The ramp went up again, blocking all possible exits from the jet. Another panic seized me. Mindlessly, I resumed my beating on Victor's back. Another string of curses stumbled out of my lips, ordering Victor to let me down. Victor pretended not to hear me. He walked towards the front where hundreds of buttons lit up. Some were blinking while some were just plain looking buttons. There were two pilot seats with the steering wheel and all. All in all, it looked like your average plane in the inside.

"Do you need another pilot?" Victor asked, looking at Mystique. Once again, a frown settled on my face and the curses apparently stopped coming out of my mouth.

Mystique only smiled. "Depends on who's going to be the other one."

Stupid bad guys. They were shamelessly flirting with one another in front of me—well, they weren't exactly in front of me because I was slung on Victor's shoulder so I couldn't see them but you get the picture.

How did I know that Mystique smiled? Easy. I could hear it in her voice.

I cleared my throat, reminding Victor that I was still there and I desperately needed to get back on my feet. Being inside this jet surrounded with metal didn't make me feel better. I wasn't good with heights let alone a jet. Just standing there already made me feel sick.

"What?" Victor snapped, as if I had just ruined his good mood.

"Let me down," I said, calmly.

Without saying another word, he put me down. "Happy now?" he asked.

I only glared at him as an answer. "Ecstatic," I said, sarcastically.

"If it will make you feel better, there are benches there where you can sit as well as a couple of paper bags which you can use for whatever purposes. Also, don't forget to fasten your seatbelt," Victor said, smirking a bit. He sat down on one of the pilot seats. My eyes landed on Mystique who shrugged and sat down at the other seat.

Fine. If that was what he wanted, then fine

**Later...**

"I think you should really check on her," Mystique said, sticking a thumb at my direction. If I was only feeling a bit better than now, I would have glared at her. I didn't need her concern nor her pity. I was perfectly fine with my solitude. I didn't need any of their help.

Victor glanced at me. "Looks pretty green to me."

I rolled my eyes. Gosh, why didn't we notice that? I had been puking for the past 15 minutes now and it felt like I had thrown up my own stomach already. Darn. This sucked too much for me to bear. I belched once again into the paper bag that I held in my hands. Sure, the jet flew very smoothly but it kept on tilting. I wasn't very good with flying things. I was a land-lover.

"Just make it stop. The sound is irritating," Mystique said, gritting her teeth.

I threw a glare at her. If she was the one in my situation, she wouldn't be complaining about the sound of me puking. Nevertheless, I quickly reminded myself that I didn't care about her thoughts on me. Heck I hardly ever listened to anything she said.

Victor finally unfastened his seatbelt and stood up. "Sure. That will be easy," he said. He walked towards me with a very creepy grin on his face. That suddenly made me very weary on him. I knew that look. He was up to something awful again. I gave him a nasty look. "I don't need your help," I hissed. Despite of having a very upset stomach, I still had enough venom left to use on Victor. The jet swerved once again, earning an unconscious groan from me. I closed my eyes and covered them with my hands. When was this torture ever going to end?

Victor sat down beside me. "Feeling better now?" he asked, smirking.

I raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Well, since I'm beside you right now you should feel much better," he said, smugly.

"Let me see if this can wipe away that smug smirk on your face," I threatened, holding the paper bag up. If looks could kill, Victor would have died ages ago.

Victor shrugged. "Hey, just helping."

"Well, you're not so please go away," I snapped. Another wave of nausea and I let out another groan. This was stupid.

Victor let out a sigh. "I would love to but I can't, so I'm very sorry about that."

I only narrowed my eyes on him but didn't say anything anymore. I wasn't in the mood to argue with Victor. The jet tilted once more and I feel like my stomach had just flipped upside down. I held the paper bag near my mouth to prepare myself. WHY NOW?

"You know, you remind me of someone I know," Victor said, quietly, distracting me from the urge to throw up again.

"Who?" I asked, looking up at him.

"My brother," he said, shrugging.

Wow. This was going to be an interesting conversation. He never really talked about his personal life. If he ever did, it wasn't about his family or something more personal. It was always about his career or the things he usually did.

"Who's your brother?" I asked. Another tilt and I lost it.

Victor's hand was automatically on my back, rubbing it. "If I tell you his name, you promise me to answer one simple question," he said, gravely.

I was too feeble to answer so I just nodded my head. It wasn't such a good idea also because after nodding, it felt like the whole world shook.

"He was used to be called as James Howlett, but I usually called him Jimmy. But now, I just call him plainly as Logan," he said, not looking at me.

My eyes widened at the sudden revelation. No wonder they somehow resembled each other. "B-but how come the two of you ended up at the opposite side of the line?" I stammered, completely astounded.

"Long story short, we had some misunderstandings and later on, he had forgotten that I was his brother after getting his memories erased by some goddamn bullets," he said, looking peculiarly irked.

"Oh." I didn't know what else to say.

We both fell silent for a while. The dizziness was still there and I still felt like throwing up. My grip on the paper bag tightened as I felt another wave of wooziness. I couldn't take this anymore. My head felt so heavy and my throat felt so dry and parched.

As if reading my mind, Victor scooted closer to me until our shoulders touched. Without saying a word, he forcefully placed my head on top of his shoulder. I didn't bother putting up a fight. I knew that I needed this so I just shut up. I would save the lecturing for later, right now, I needed all the help I could get to stop myself from getting sick again and again.

"Now, for my question," Victor said.

I rolled my eyes but didn't say anything.

"Have you ever dated someone?"

That wasn't a hard question. I took a deep breath before giving him my answer. "I dated only one guy at school but it was only once."

"Only one?" Victor repeated, dubiously.

"Yup. I never was interested with the guy. After that first date, no one asked me out. I guess they're all too busy checking out cheerleaders," I said, shrugging.

Victor only smirked. "That's great."

Once again, I couldn't believe how insensitive Victor was. We fell silent once again. My stomach was still nagging me, telling me that it wasn't finish just yet. I felt Victor's hand wound around my shoulder, drawing small circles on my arm. It felt good and I was starting to feel a little drowsy, but I couldn't sleep because I still felt sick.

"Tell me, Victor, how did you and Mystique meet?" I asked, yawning a bit. When I realized what I just asked, my hand flew to my mouth to cover it. I wasn't suppose to say that out loud.

Victor suddenly looked amused. "Why do you want to know?" he asked, cocking his head to one side. I could see him smiling like an idiot.

"Fine. Don't answer it then," I snapped.

Victor chuckled. "I didn't say I won't answer it. Why wouldn't I anyway?"

I pulled away from him and stuck out my tongue at him.

"I cannot remember exactly how we met in the first place but we both worked for the same person and for the same reasons. That's all," he said.

"What's your relationship between her?" I asked, pretending to be disinterested when in fact I felt like my heart was stirring up a stampede inside me. This was the question I had been asking for a long time already. This was it. I would know the truth.

Victor sighed. "Well, let's say we're friends with some benefits," he replied, coolly.

I rolled m eyes. "Meaning?" Once again, I couldn't understand what Victor was implying.

"Do you really want to know?"

There was something sinister in the way he said that. It made me wonder if I should be regretting my question. I had a distinct feeling that I wouldn't want to know the answer. There was no turning back. Once I got Victor talking, he wouldn't stop until he would see me irked.

"Meaning," he said, slowly. The devious look on his face never left. "we will usually have some time comforting each other after some missions together." He winked at me. "If you know what I mean."

I wish I didn't know what he meant.

Anger. Jealousy. Sadness. Hurt I didn't know what I was feeling but there was only one emotion that stood out the most. I felt betrayed. What was I expecting? Did I honestly think that I would be the first woman in his life? No. He was a century old for God's sake. He must have thousands of women he had slept with. Once again, this reminded me that Victor was a still complete mystery to me. I didn't know him so I couldn't really trust him.

"What's with that look?" Victor asked, peering at me closely.

I only glared at him. "Go away," I said, grumpily. I wasn't feeling so sick anymore. I was too busy building up my anger on Victor. I knew that I didn't have the right to be angry at him but I wasn't so sure if I was angrier to myself more than Victor. I was stupid enough to believe that Victor wasn't like any other man.

That statement made Victor mad. "What now?" I said, almost shouting.

"Just go away," I said, this time, sounding more defeated than angry.

Victor must had noted the change of tone so he relaxed a bit. "Are you jealous?"

I didn't answer. There was no point in being jealous because he wasn't mine anyway.

Victor shook his head. He hid his face from my view and it made me think that he was actually engrossed with his thoughts. But after a few seconds of silent, his head flew back up and he was laughing like a madman.

I narrowed my eyes on him, getting pissed more than ever but I dared not say anything.

"You are jealous," Victor said, in between laughter.

"No. I have no right to be jealous," I said, stiffly.

That suddenly made him shut up. Although he wasn't laughing anymore, I still knew that he was still pretty much pleased with my cold demeanor. It meant that he was slowly getting into my nerves. "Do you know why I never told you any of this before?"

I pretended that I didn't hear him say anything. But it only encouraged him to continue on with his story. "That's because I know that you're going to be pissed," he said, chuckling once again.

Yeah. Laugh all you want. That was what you always do anyway.

Noticing that I was still not going to speak up, Victor fell silent once again. He sighed. "And anyway, I never told you this because I'm also afraid that you'll tell me about your past boyfriends," he said, looking away from me.

Even though his words sounded heartfelt, I still didn't answer. He may think that this _pitiful _act would work on any average girls but I was smart enough to not fall for those tricks. Those were only petty ways to stop someone from being angry at you.

"Fine. Don't say anything then!" he shouted so suddenly that it startled me.

"Oh. So now you're the one who's angry," I yelled back.

"Yes. I am angry!"

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Who cares if you're angry!" I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest. "It's like who cares if Elijah didn't know you had girlfriends in the past. Not to mention shamelessly flirting in front of me without even bothering to explain who-"

"Oh. So you ARE jealous!" Victor said, pointing a finger at me. He was now standing in front of me and he had this very frustrated look on his face. He was having a hard time to understand my mood swings.

"So what if I am! You already know that anyway but hey, who cares?"

"I care!"

"Yeah right," I said, rolling my eyes. "I doubt you even know the meaning of that word." Oops. That must had gone too far….But it was too late to take it back now.

A pained expression fleeted on Victor's face. "I'm a man, Elijah. I know."

"Then act like one. God, Victor, can't you just for once pretend that you're not a villain and be a normal man!" I yelled back at him. I so wished that my mouth would stop talking. I feared that Victor might become violent with the insults I had thrown to him. He could have easily lashed out on me but instead, he was quiet. He had this distant look on his face as if he needed time for the words to sink in his head. Slowly, he started moving back to his the co-pilot seat. He didn't even say a word or look back.

My hands flew to my mouth as I realized in horror that I had hurt him deeply.

Damn.

I shouldn't have said that. Stupid Elijah. Victor may be a villain but he did care about me, like the time when he saved me from Daken or whenever he would bring me food at night for me to cook. Or the time when he had taken care of me when I was so sick. He cared. But I was just too blinded with his shortcomings that I had forgotten the good deeds he had done to me. I hadn't even thanked him yet!

Yes. Victor might be a selfish jerk who found pleasure in the sufferings of others, but he was just a man. I didn't know what he must have gone through the past years (or the past century) but being a mutant, shunned by society, it must have molded him into a man he was today. He cared….but no one had cared about him.

And that resulted to his hard heart.

I buried my face on my hands. This was just great.

But now that I thought of it, the words _thank you _and _sorry _were the things I never said to Victor…..

**So….you can kill me now….O_O I'm so sorry for the late update. First week of class and we had loads of homework. Anyway, I hope you like it.**

**P.S: I'll edit later.**

**Current Playlist: Things I Never Said by Before the Curtain, Would by Alice in Chains, Let You Down by Three Days Grace. **


	24. Part TwentyFour: THE ART OF BREAKING

**Life sucks...that's all I have to say.**

**Disclaimer: X-men will never be mine. **

Part TwentyFour: ART OF BREAKING

It took a whole hour to get to my hometown. It wasn't really that far from New York. It would probably take a couple of days if we used the bus but using the jet, it had cut it to an hour. Even though I hadn't looked at myself in front of a mirror, I had a feeling that my face was probably green from the flight with my hair slightly askew. In short, I was a complete mess. The jet landed somewhere in a deserted field. We wouldn't want people to see us coming out of a very high-tech looking jet which could make itself invisible to the human eye. It would surely freak them out.

"We're here," Mystique said, looking back at me. I was still strapped on my seat feeling a lot nauseated. Victor didn't say a word. He only unfastened the his seat belt and stood up to unfasten mine. I was still slightly disoriented with a very severe headache. He looked straight into my eyes and asked if I could stand.

"Give me a second," I said. Unconsciously, I grabbed his arm and used him as a support as I went back on my feet. I was starting feel a little better but the headache was still bothering me. Victor didn't complain. He acted like a loyal body guard as he helped me down the ramp. Of course, he was making me feel bad with what I had said earlier. But somehow, my pride was still preventing me from apologizing to him.

We were both out of the jet now and back on solid ground. I breathe in a lungful of air and I instantly felt better. If men were to fly, they should have grown wings. I swore to myself that I would never ride an airplane again. This issue had been going on for years now ever since I was thirteen years old. I still couldn't forget what had happened back then.

The sun was high up now, directly overhead. It must had been noon- lunchtime. My stomach growled and I looked up to Victor, hoping that he didn't hear that. Apparently, he didn't or he was pretending he didn't. Well, I hadn't eaten breakfast yet and I had kept on vomiting while we were high in the sky so my stomach was surely empty and needed something to fill it up. But I knew that once I get back to my home, my stomach problem would be solved in an instant.

Once my stomach had stopped complaining, I decided to check out my surroundings. We had landed in a corn field, thus we had destroyed some of the crops. The stalks were taller than I was. It was about Victor's height. I narrowed my eyes on him. How come he get to be that tall?

_That's because he's a guy, _I thought dryly, tearing my gaze off of Victor.

Mystique followed closely behind us. "I guess this will be my stop. I have something else I need to do," she said, smiling at the two of us. That made me feel quite relieve although I tried hard to suppress the grin that was about to form on my face. Finally, she would be gone! It was like a thorn had been plucked out of my thumb. This was great. No more jets. No more flying. And best of all, no more blue-skinned, mutant woman!

But I was still stuck with the very stony and aloof Victor. He was still mad at me. He didn't have to say anything for me to know that. Actions spoke louder than words. In his case, his actions were shouting at me. I could just feel the dark atmosphere hanging heavily around us. For once, I wished that Mystique wouldn't leave us alone. I couldn't handle this depressing aura around him.

Mystique got inside the jet once again and waved at us before having the ramp go back up. I waved back, groaning inwardly as the nightmare with Victor was about to begin. I didn't where we were exactly but I recognized the place. It was a part of my childhood, the place where I usually play alone so that meant this wasn't far from my house. I peered at Victor who had an unreadable expression on his face. He wasn't waving back at one of his _girlfriends_. I glared at him. While he wasn't looking at me, I stuck out my tongue at him and turned away before I would be caught.

The jet was gone, either because it had turn invisible or it had flown away. Or probably it did both.

An uncomfortable silence settled between us. Both of us were still looking at the empty space where the jet was a few seconds ago. Neither one of us was planning to break the ice so I decided to stomp my way out of the field. Of course I couldn't see where I was going but I knew that I would eventually get out of here. It wouldn't be so hard. I had played in this same field when I was young. I could see the high fences at the far end and the white farmhouse where the old couple lived. The red barn was still at the far west side of the field.

Yup, this was definitely home.

I could hear Victor's footsteps closely behind me. He was still quiet. It was making me irk. Shouldn't he be asking me if I was sure of where I was going? This wasn't like him to be quiet without taunting me. I hate his silence. I was the one who was usually quiet. He was the one who never ran out of words to say be it a good word or a bad word.

I was too busy with all those thoughts inside my head that I didn't notice a pole standing in front of me. When I noticed it, it was already too late. My nose hit the metal pole and it created a very loud _clanging _noise. My nose started to throb and I felt something wet running down from it. "OUCH!" I howled in pain. Could my day get any worse than that?

In a blink of an eye, Victor was already standing beside me. "Are you okay?" he asked, looking at my bleeding nose. "Let me see that." He touched the hand that was nursing my injured nose. I quickly stepped away from him.

"Yes I am," I hissed, feeling extremely annoyed. He sensed it so he backed off a little.

"Good," he said, glaring at me before leading the way. "Next time, look at where you're going."

I rolled my eyes. What was up with him? He didn't even bother to give me a handkerchief. But now that I thought of it, he might not even have one. He didn't give me the type who seemed to bring a handkerchief with him. I checked my nose. It wasn't broken or anything and it wasn't really bleeding that badly. I wiped the blood off and trudged behind Victor. Give it to the man who could smell like a dog.

We were walking aimlessly and I was finding it more and more difficult to see where we were going. I couldn't keep up on Victor's long strides. Plus, the stupid corn stalks kept on whipping in front of my face. It was irritating and I felt like my face was getting red because of the plant. It seemed like I had forgotten how it felt like running around the corn fields.

Victor suddenly paused but he didn't say anything. He just turned around and looked at me with the same unreadable expression on his face. I narrowed my eyes on him. "What?" I asked.

Once again, he didn't say anything. He just stared.

I didn't know what hit me but I instantly realized that we were lost. I looked passed Victor and noticed that we were on the same spot where the jet had landed. We just went in a circle. Frustrated, I groaned and stomped my feet. Trust a man with heightened senses. I glowered at him, accusingly. But he just stared back at me.

I knew it! He was definitely trying to kill me with that stare. His eyebrows were furrowed together and the look on his eyes were hide. Even though he wasn't saying anything, I had a feeling that he was accusing me. Sure, we were lost but it wasn't my fault. If he didn't try to lead the way and follow the wrong scent, then we wouldn't get lost in this stupid corn field.

"Will you please stop doing that," I snapped, getting fed up with the scary, silent glance Victor had on me. It was getting on my nerves. But I knew he wouldn't even care. He was still mad at me and let's leave it as that. I was ready to apologize to him but the attitude he was showing me prevented me to do so.

Victor didn't even bother disguising his stare. "What will I stop?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"You're staring at me like I'm an alien or something," I snapped. Anger swelled but I dared not say anything. Who knew what my stupid mouth would say this time. I clenched my fists and took a deep breath to calm myself down. I needed to control myself. I wouldn't want to add fuel to the fire. "Look. What I said earlier was wrong. I was just so mad because..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say next. I couldn't just tell him that I was jealous of Mystique. He would definitely take it the wrong way and get all smug and cocky. It was like admitting defeat to him.

I hated losing...

I looked at him, hoping that he would stop glowering down on me but my plan had taken a wrong turn. I shouldn't have said because in the first place and now he was waiting for the reason why I got mad and started insulting him. I sighed, not knowing how I could get out of the rut I fell into.

"Well?" Victor asked, urging me to go on with my reason. I bit my lower lip, completely at a lost for words. He must have noticed that I couldn't pull out a good reason from my mind. "You know, you could have just told me that you were jealous a while ago," he stated, shrugging a bit.

"Gee, why didn't I come up with that a while ago?" I said, sarcastically. "And anyway, who am I to be jealous? You obviously know each other for a long time and here I am. I just met you months ago," I ranted.

"Actually, it's already a year," Victor corrected.

I narrowed my eyes on him. "Fine. It's been a year since I met you so who am I to judge?" I almost yelled, waving my arms around to show my point. But my words were falling to deaf ears.

"What?" I asked him suspiciously when a ghost of a smile flickered on his face. We were standing a few feet away from each other since I was still a bit wary of him still. I raised an eyebrow at him, completely mystified with his abrupt silence. What now?

"Who do you think you are?" Victor asked, cocking his head to one side.

He just threw back the question I had asked him earlier. "I don't know," I replied, bowing my head in defeat. My feelings for him were completely messed up. I hated how he kept on making my head go round. He was like air. He couldn't be contained and he was absolutely unpredictable. I doubted everything about him. The emotions he said he held for me. His background. His honesty. His attitude. His humanity. He was just a huge question mark in my life.

Victor smirked. "You're my property."

_I WAS HIS WHAT?_

My eyes were wide. That wasn't the answer I was expecting from him. "H-huh?"

The grin on his face widened. "You heard me. You're my property and as you know, I'm a very possessive person. I don't like anyone touching my things especially if they are going to touch you." He pointed at me. I was suddenly aware that he was standing directly in front of me.

He made it sound like I was weak. "I'm not yours!" I protested, violently. Saying that I was his property, that really cut through me. Was he really that insensitive? So it was true, his feelings for me weren't deep as he made it sound like. Thinking those, it made me so mad. Unconsciously, I rolled my fists into a ball. Victor Creed was not a human being. He was a robot designed to make people suffer. He was-

Before I could finish those thoughts, he pressed his lips on mine.

I shoved him away from me and slapped him across the face. The nerve of him!

"Don't you ever do that again!" I yelled at him. There was an obvious red mark to the spot where I hit him. He only chuckled and it made me more irked. He grabbed my hand and prevented it from going back to my side. "Do it again," he said. "If it makes you feel better. Fine, do it again."

"What?"

"Do it again."

His words made me confused and hesitant. He was now creeping me out. First, he was angry at me and wouldn't even want to talk to me. And then, he stole another kiss from me. Lastly, he was now asking me to hit him again if it would make me feel better.

"What? You can't do it anymore?" Victor cooed.

I struggled to get off his grasp but he held on.

"C'mon. Hit me again. I dare you."

"Stop it Victor," I said, finally ripping my hand off his grip.

He only smirked. "I see."

I narrowed my eyes on him, inquiringly. "What did you see?" I asked, suspiciously.

"You know what's wrong with you? You're so weak and so soft," Victor said, poking my arm. I slapped his arm away. He started to walk around me, sizing me up. "You obviously can't survive without me protecting you."

Technically speaking, I could survive if only the stupid prophecy didn't mention my name. I would have enjoyed the animosity but now, my name was well known in the world of villains. I rolled my eyes. Although being weak was true, if I were to be thrown in a match with a mutant, of course I was weak. I was only human-your normal _homo sapien. _What would you expect?

"You're so cruel," I mumbled under my breath.

"You said it yourself, I don't know how to care for others," he said, shrugging.

I only scowled some more, avoiding to meet his gaze.

"Now, I'll stop whatever you want me to stop doing and you just lead us out of here," he said, pinching my cheeks. It was then that I noticed that his smile was one of his _killer _smile. Meaning, even though he was grinning from ear to ear, it was forced and off and there was a lethal atmosphere hanging around him. That was the worst mood he could get into.

Shakily I nodded my head. He was still angry.

Taking a deep breath, I straightened up and started leading the way out of the corn field. I was pretty much confident that I would get us out of here but that didn't mean I was comfortable having two eyes drilling holes on my back as we walked.

Anger was an understatement. He was furious.

As we walked, I kept on stealing a glance towards Victor's direction. I tried hard not to be caught peering at him but whenever I turned around to look at him, I would see him smiling at me with the same deadly smile. It made me shudder and thus I scolded myself for my stupidity.

The walk didn't take too much time but it felt like days for me. Victor's heavy and gloomy atmosphere kept on poking me and it was making me squirm with anxiety and distress. I couldn't let Victor get near my parents with that mood. He would surely throw a fit in my house and who knew he might even kill them in the process. I shook my head. It was probably best if I wouldn't let my thoughts dwell on that.

I shook my head and tired to focus on where we were going.

"Wait!" Victor suddenly hissed, his hand covering my mouth. I stiffened at the sudden contact.

What now?

"Someone's coming," Victor whispered. "Now act like we're a nice happy couple."

I rolled my eyes, skeptically. Wow. That act was going to be convincing. He let go of me and grabbed my arm instead.

"Now follow me," he said as he started to jog, slowing down so that I would be able to keep up with him. I didn't know what the heck he was planning but I was foolish enough to follow whatever he told me to do.

Abruptly, he halted and I crashed on him in the process. Under normal circumstance, whenever I would crash into Victor, he wouldn't budge at all but now we both fell to the ground with me on top of him. "S-sorry," I muttered, about to get off him but he held me there and stared straight into my eyes. We held eye contact for what seemed like forever. No one spoke and for a moment there, I saw something glint in Victor's eyes.

"What ya'll doin' there? T'is a private property ya know," someone said.

Startled, I quickly scrambled up to my feet red with embarrassment. There was an old man standing not quite far away from us. His whole hair was gray from age and his skin was all wrinkly and sagging. He was wearing overalls and a straw hat. He perfectly fit in the farmer role. Thinking fast, I tried to come up with an excuse as to why we were here. "Uh, sorry sir. We didn't mean to-"

"Young lovers today," he muttered, shaking his head from side to side. "If ya'll want, go get somewhere private." He scowled at us through his beady blue eyes. I almost groaned in frustration as I realized that he thought we were doing something what _young lovers _would normally do in the middle of a corn field.

"N-no sir. That's not what we were-"

Victor stood up and immediately stepped in front of me. He had this creepy grin on his face as always whenever he would try to scare his way out of trouble. "Is there a problem, _sir_?" He was mocking the old man. It was evident in the way he said _sir. _"This is a private land, right? Well, so we went here because it's _private_," he said. I rolled my eyes at his rude answer. I hated it whenever Victor would do all the talking.

The old man looked disgruntled, as if he needed some time to recollect his words. Victor had those effect on people. He was a tall and very broad man. His dark long coat could scare the hell out of people but most especially old men who worked on a farm. "Ya say what ya want but I ain't likin' your attitude, youn' man," he said, raising a finger in the air. He was acting all tough but I could see the fear in his eyes.

"Why thank you, _sir,_" Victor said, smirking once more.

There he was again. He sure did know how to pay respects to his elders but now that I thought of it, he did mention that he was almost a century old.

...

No wonder he was cranky.

"Now get outta here!" the old man said, angrily.

We didn't move.

"Well?" the old man asked, impatiently. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Can't get out now, am I right?"

"Yes," I said, stopping Victor before he would say one more impolite word to the old man. I knew the guy. He was the owner of the land ever since I was a child. He never really approved of me playing in the corn field. He would always drive me out but I was always cautious enough not to get caught. He used to be scary back then but now that he was older, he didn't seem so scary to me.

He snorted at us, grumpily. His eyes traveled to our faces down to our feet. "Fine," he spat. "Follow me." He turned on his heels and led the way out of the corn field. I let out a sigh of relief. At least we could get out of here. I glanced at Victor who was now frowning. The smirk on his face had vanished and a thoughtful look reigned on his face. There was something up his sleeves. I could just feel it. He caught me staring at him. A smile tugged the corners of his lips.

"You're not going to do anything stupid, right?" I asked, dubiously.

"And if I will?" Victor taunted.

I only glared at him. "He's just an old man. Leave him alone."

"He destroyed the mood," he said, shrugging a bit. "That's a good reason to try and kill him. Don't worry, though, it will be quick and painless."

My eyes widened in the horror. Was he serious or was he trying to scare me? "Please don't. You're angry at me, remember? Don't vent out your anger on him," I pleaded. I wouldn't be able to live my life if I knew that a man's blood stained my hands. The old man didn't do anything wrong. He was just trying to protect his corn field. It was his job after all. This was where he got his living.

Victor had this mischievous look on his face that made me shudder. "We'll see about that." And he started to walk behind the old man.

He was trying to break me. Bit by bit. I let out a groan as dread started to settle down my stomach. Me and my stupid mouth. I should have just apologized to him and shut my mouth but instead I added fuel to the fire. Well, he was the one who started it! Telling me that I was his _property_ and that he, alone, could only touch me had heated me up. He was such an ignorant, cold-hearted moron. Was I really that low to him?

It took us a few minutes to finally get out of the corn field. It was then revealed that I was heading the opposite direction, thus we couldn't get out of the field in the first place. Good thing the owner found us and got us out or else it would take a hours before we could get to my parents' house. It wasn't far from here but it wasn't exactly that near either.

"Thank you, sir," I told the old man as soon as we got out of the field.

The old man snorted. "I don't need your thanks. I just want the two of ya out of my field. AND STAY OUT!" he almost yelled, spraying spit all over my face. I blinked, as I tried hard not to show my disgust. I simply wiped my face and didn't say anything anymore. I saw no point explaining myself to the old man. And anyway, I couldn't just tell him that we used his corn field as a place to land an invisible jet. It would only make him angrier, thinking that we were fooling him.

I was about to turn around and leave when I noticed Victor staying on the exact same spot, glaring at the old man, obviously irked. Fear gripped me when I realized what Victor was about to do. My hand wrapped around Victor's wrist and pulled him along with me. But he wasn't moving. The old man was looking at us, not knowing that his life might be at stake. He had a disapproving look on his face. Ignoring him, I placed my hand on Victor's cheek and made him look at me. "Let him go," I whispered.

He narrowed his eyes on me. "Why would I?"

"He's innocent. He doesn't deserve to die."

Victor didn't say anything. He was thinking.

"What will I get if I won't kill him?" he suddenly asked, slyly.

I knew where this was going but I didn't have much choice. It was either another argument to settle this or just let Victor have a reward for sparing the man's life. "What do you want?" I asked.

"Kiss me."

My eyes widened in shock. "Now?" I asked, nervously as I let go of his cheek.

He grinned. "Yes. As in now, in front of him."

I scowled at him. "Sorry. No can do. Pick another one."

He chuckled. "Kill him it is."

Before he could even turn around, I grabbed his arm and made him face me. Without second thoughts, I went on my tiptoes and planted a chaste kiss on his lips. "There," I said, begrudgingly.

"Not what I expected that but we'll work on that later," Victor sneered. He took one last glance at the old man with the creepy grin on his face. "At least I can still give him a heart attack." Putting an arm across my shoulders, we started to walk away heading towards my home...

I just hoped Victor was kidding when he said we were going to work out on our kiss later. I couldn't imagine doing that under the same roof as my parents. It would definitely make me feel a bit guilty because I never mentioned him to my parents. I sighed. At least he wasn't the mad at me anymore so I was sure that he wasn't going to kill my parents off.

"By the way, how will you introduce me to your parents? Surely, you can't call me your cousin anymore," Victor said, yawning a bit as if this topic wasn't really important. Now that I thought of it, that question was completely bothersome. I couldn't tell my parents that he was my cousin. They weren't like Nick. They would absolutely know that I was lying. I could tell them that he was a friend of mine but suspicions would arise.

Heck. What was the point? They would eventually find out.

"I'll know how when we get there," I replied, smiling up at him.

He only chuckled. "I sure hope so."

**Ooooookay. I didn't mention where Eli's hometown is since I, myself, cannot decide where she lives. So any suggestions? **

**P.S: Life sucks because my best friend in the whole world is moving out of the country...and she didn't even tell me. She just stopped coming to class after Tuesday...It explains the poorly written chapter.**

**Current Playlist: The Art Of Breaking by Thousand Foot Krutch**


	25. Part TwentyFive: THE ADVENTURE

**Hey guys! Ysh's here. There's actually a storm raging in the place where I live so that means classes were suspended due to floods...thus I have been able to update really fast. ^^ Anyways, please enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men.**

Part TwentyFive: THE ADVENTURE

"Please be nice...or at least close to your definition of nice," I said pleadingly as I looked directly at Victor's blue-gray eyes. He only smirked at me. He wasn't taking me seriously at all. We were now standing in front of the door that led to my parents' house...the house where I grew up. I sighed, bracing myself. I couldn't explain the fear that gripped me so tightly as I debated whether it was the right choice to knock on this door and face my parents with Victor Creed in tow. My parents wouldn't be please to know that I brought along a perverted and rambunctious man with me.

"Are you going to knock on that door or will I have to do it myself?" Victor teased, leaning casually on the wall beside the door. He raised an eyebrow at me. He had his signature smirk on his face which I found oddly attractive.

I shook my head, snapping out of my thoughts. "I'll do it," I said. The words stumbled out my mouth so fast that it made Victor smile some more. I had a vague feeling that he knew what I was thinking. A blush crept to my cheeks.

Taking a deep breath, I raised my hand to knock on the door. Precisely, I knocked three times with a very funky beat. Victor chuckled and once again, I became slightly embarrassed. He could sense my excitement as well as my nervousness but he pretended to brush it off. He was observing my every move. I could feel his eyes on me although I tried hard not to dwell on it.

"Comin'," a voice from behind the door hollered.

It didn't take too long when a plump, elderly woman opened the door. She had an evenly tanned skin. Her eyes were like mine, dark brown that reminded everyone of melting chocolates. Her hair, which used to be brown, was grey at some parts. She had this angelic and sweet smile on her face as soon as she opened the door. Her eyes widened in recognition as soon as she saw my face. I couldn't help but mirror back that same smile.

"Elijah!" she exclaimed, her arms quickly wrapped around me. She pulled me close, crushing me.

"Mom!" I said, trying to match the enthusiasm in her voice. Unfortunately, I failed but it still sounded cheerful...and tired.

When I was a kid, I found it very amusing to hug my mom because she was a very plump woman, thus she was soft and huggable...like a teddy bear. She was so big back then that whenever I hide under her strong, gentle arms, I felt so safe and secured. But now, I was a head taller than her and as I hugged her, she felt very fragile to me. She was getting older.

"Why are you here? Aren't you studyin' in New York?" she asked as soon as she pulled away from the bone-breaking hug.

"Uh, about that..."

"Good afternoon, ma'am," Victor suddenly butted in, startling me in the process. He had a smile on his face and miraculously, it didn't look as scary as the smile he had while we were being lectured by the old man in the farm.

My mom looked at me with wide eyes. Typical reaction from a mother who wasn't expecting her daughter to be standing in front of the house with a man beside her. I could see the smile finding its way to my mother's face. "Oh, and who might you be?" she asked, wriggling an eyebrow at me.

"Mom, I can explain..."

Once again, Victor cut me off.

"Victor Creed," he answered, shaking her hand. He was acting like a normal guy...which he wasn't. "Nice to finally meet you."

My mom couldn't hide the smile any longer. She flashed her brilliant teeth at Victor, completely captivated by his _polite _and _charming _manner. I rolled my eyes. If only she knew... I glared at Victor, completely confused at his sudden change of attitude. So now he was acting like a gentleman...a respectful and noble man. Wait until my dad was here. I knew he wouldn't fall for that crap Victor was putting up.

"Oh, nice to meet you too. My name's Evelyn Halpern, Elijah's mother," she said, winking a bit at Victor as if she was implying something else. Another sigh escaped my lips. My mom was a complete scatter-brained person. She would always get so excited whenever I would introduce to her a boy...or even talk to one! She was obsessed with the thought of me going out with boys. This was the same argument we had years ago ever since I first step foot on high school.

"Mom, I can explain..."

I almost groan when another voice cut through me. Why couldn't I talk without someone interrupting me?

"Eve, who's there?" a gruff voice asked, coming front the other side of the door.

My mom giggled, sounding like a school girl. "Oh Elliot, you're not goin' to guess who's here," she yelled. She grasped my arm and Victor's and started pulling us inside the house and passed the living room. We entered the kitchen where a wooden table stood in the middle. A man was sitting down on one of the chairs with his feet propped on the table. His face was obscured with the newspaper in front his face but I instantly knew who it was behind the paper.

"Eliot! Elijah's here. And guess what!" my mom went on, finally letting go of my arm and Victor's. She strode across the room and snatched the paper my father was reading. She rolled the newspaper and put it down on top of the table. "Look!" she ordered.

My dad looked at me with his wise, blue eyes. His silvery blond hair was now thinning and getting grey like mom's. His eyes were wide. His thin lips were opened, as if he couldn't believe his own eyes. I grinned sheepishly at him. "Hey, dad," I said, unsure. I was bracing myself for my dad's reaction once he saw Victor. I hoped he wouldn't throw a fit.

"Victor, this is Elliot Halpern, the father of Elijah," my mom said, giggling once again. I glowered at my mom. She should have at least give my dad a warning before suddenly introducing Victor Creed to him. People needed to get some time to get use to Victor. Just as I had to take a painfully long period of time before I started to warm up to Victor. He was scary with his broad and huge stature. The sharp fangs that showed whenever he showed off his signature smirk wasn't a welcoming sight. His facial hair that gave him a rough, bad boy look. Not to mention the way he dressed. He always wore a dark long coat. Now that I thought of it, those dark, forlorn clothes were the only things he wore.

My dad looked at Victor from head to toe. He didn't even seem so happy to see her only daughter back from New York. It made me slightly disappointed. Well, that was fathers were for. They were very protective towards their children...especially to their daughters.

"Who are you?" my dad asked, curtly.

My mom was about to open her mouth to start yapping but my dad quickly shushed her up. "I'm not talkin' to you, woman. I was talkin' to him," he snapped. That instantly stopped my mom from saying something stupid. I rolled my eyes. I missed their bickering. Once, I was so afraid whenever they would start snapping at each other, but as I grew up, I just got used to it and knew that they wouldn't go far from yelling at each other. They never hurt each other physically.

"Victor Creed."

"Yeah, I know your name. I'm asking _who _are you," my dad said, grumpily.

I cocked my head to one side, not getting the difference between his first question to his second. "Dad, Victor's a friend of mine in class," I said, trying to sound cheerful. I wasn't really expecting to tell them that he was a friend from class but that was the first thing that came from my mind.

"Is he your professor?" my dad asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

I shook my head. "No. Him? Victor? Nah. He's not my professor...nor is he anybody's professor. Um, he's a classmate..." I said, trying to cover up the lies. I stank of lies but I tried not think about it. I was never good at lying. I sneaked a peek at Victor. He had amusement playing behind his eyes. I nudged him discreetly, trying to get his attention. I needed his help. I couldn't come up with a better excuse to why he was there.

"Don't you think he looks a bit too old for college?" dad asked, dubiously.

"He only looks old but he's not," I said, trying hard not to look away from his demanding eyes. He wanted anwers. I could see it. But I wasn't going to give him anything or else I might not stop talking.

Victor chuckled. That earned him another glare coming from me. "What?" he asked, innocently.

My dad wasn't convinced. He was about to fire another question when my mom spoke up.

"Oh c'mon, darlin'. Victor doesn't look that old. You're just sayin' it because you're lil' girl's all grown up," she said, pinching my cheeks at the process. I slapped her hand away and threw her a dirty look. I hated it whenever someone touched me.

"Why didn't ya call us first?" my mom asked, changing the topic all of a sudden.

"Um, I, uh..." I looked at Victor, needing some help.

"I asked her if I can come and visit you. After all, you are her parents and Christmas is on its way in a month," Victor said, smoothly.

I stared at him, admiring at his ability to come up with a lie so swiftly.

My mom squealed with delight. "Oh, Eliot, did you here that? Not a lot of folks do that nowadays!" she exclaimed. "Oh, excuse me, I have to fix up Elijah's room for the two of you..."

My eyes widened. "W-wait! Aren't we going to get separate rooms? I mean..."

"That will be wonderful, Mrs. Halpern," Victor stated, cutting me off once again. He gave me a sly glance which no one else saw except for me.

Dad abruptly stood up. He had a dark look on his face. "Who said that the two of you are going to sleep in the same room?" He faced my mom. "Fix the couch. He's going to sleep on it tonight." Gravely, he turned around and walked out of the room.

Silence fell inside the house. I heard the slam of the front door as my dad went out to who knew where. I sighed. He always did that whenever he was upset. At least he took this situation better than I thought he would. No more threats this time. Most especially...no more guns unlike the last time a boy visited them.

The first to recover was my mom. She smiled at Victor. "Don't worry. He likes you already," she said, euphemistically. "So, where are your bags?"

Victor and I looked at each other, sheepishly. Victor didn't have any belongings. I, on the other hand, only had a backpack which only held not enough clothes to last for who knew how long.

"I see. I guess the two of you are very excited to get in here," my mom said. The smile on her face widened some more. I could say that she was very thrilled to have me back home with a man I brought home from New York. I sighed.

I just hoped that we would survive a month without killing each other.

**:**

I wasn't so sure what woke me up. It was either the loud creaking sound that my bed kept on making or was the warm breath washing over my face. It didn't matter anyway because both of them were annoying me. Groaning in frustration, I rolled on to my stomach and placed a pillow on top of my head, trying to block out the irritating sound of the bed. It seldom creaked when I was younger. It seemed like I had gotten heavier.

"Wakey wakey," a low voice cooed to my ears.

At first, I thought that it was a persistent fly buzzing along my ear. My hand instinctively reached for my ear and scratched it hoping that this _fly _which I thought existed would go away and stop bugging me.

"That's funny, Eli, I never thought that you were a heavy sleeper," the voice went on.

This time I knew that it wasn't a fly. The voice was so familiar that I instantly knew who kept on pestering me. Immediately, I rolled on my back and cracked my eyes open. I was looking at Victor, face to face. His was so close to mine that I could smell his breath. It smelled like our dinner...corn soup and potatoes. Surprisingly, I wasn't pressured to push him off me. I knew that it would be futile since Victor was such a huge man. And I was feeling a bit groggy. It was still dark outside and I could see the moon visibly out from my windows.

"Victor," I said, yawning a bit. I covered my mouth with my hand. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night? This is my room and my dad specifically told you that you cannot go here."

He chuckled and I could feel his throat vibrate because of the minimal distance between us. His facial hair was tickling me a bit on the lower jaw. "As if I'll listen to that man," he said, rolling his eyes. "Move over. I'm going to sleep here tonight...and probably every single night as we stay here."

I was still too sleepy to argue. It seemed like retching for an hour would sap all the energy out of you. "Do whatever you want," I whispered. My eyes were closing themselves involuntarily. "Just don't do anything stupid."

"Is that a warning or an invitation? Victor mused, his arm winding around my waist and pulling me closer to him. It was then that I realized that he was wearing a very lose white shirt and boxers. I wondered where he got the change of attire but my mind wasn't functioning properly this time around.

"I mean it." But the words just stumbled out of my mouth. It didn't sound convincing.

Victor's lips brushed my ear but I didn't mind. "Okay," he muttered under his breath as he started nibbling at my ear. That felt delightful. Of course, under normal circumstances I would probably push him away and started scolding him but I decided to let him continue whatever he was doing. He wasn't doing anything wrong but I was sure that if things would get a bit out of hand, I would stop him.

He abruptly stopped the nibbling and I felt a bit disappointed. His grasp on me tightened and he pulled me closer. I buried my face on his chest and breathe in his scent. Just like always, he smelled like a man. Sweat. Sun. Food. Just the typical Victor.

"This is interesting," he mumbled.

"What's interesting?" I asked as the sleepiness was starting to go away.

"You're not fighting," he mused. I felt him chuckled again.

"Do you want me to?" I asked, looking up at him and smirking.

He looked thoughtful for a moment but then broke into his signature smirk. "Nah, I liked this better," he said.

"Too bad," I said, and pushed him roughly away from me. "Now get your hands off me and go back to your couch!"

Catching him off guard, Victor crashed down on the floor, not expecting that I would shove him out my bed. He landed with a very loud noise that could wake the whole town up. My back stiffened. _Oh damn._ Dad was not going to like this.

"Get out!" I hissed at him, rolling out of my bed.

"And if I don't wanna?" he asked, darkly. I had pissed him off. Big time.

"Just get out," I snapped, pushing him to his feet. "How did you even get here?"

"By the window."

My eyes widened. I forgot to close that window before I went to bed. There was a just outside it. A thick branch was reaching out towards the window to my room. I groaned in defeat. "Please, just go."

Victor grinned. "Whatever you say, Eli." And he jumped out of the window. I fought the urge to check out on him but I was sure that he was still in one piece. That guy could never die.

Quickly, I scampered towards my bed and was about to put the blanket over me when the door opened. My dad's head poked inside my room. "You alright?" he asked, looking around my room with keen eyes.

"Uh, yeah. I just fell out of my bed," I lied, laughing a bit.

"Oh. Um, okay. Good night," he said, walking away.

I let out a sigh of relief. That was a close one.

Suddenly, the door burst open once more. This time, it was my mother who had intruded my private quarters. I narrowed my eyes on her. "Good evening, mother. What are you doing here?" I asked, suspiciously.

My mom was grinning ear to ear. "So?" she asked, eagerly.

That made me confused. "Huh?"

"Victor went up here, didn't he?" she said, guessing correctly.

My mom. She was indeed a very rare specimen. She was always thrilled with the thought of me having a boyfriend and some romance in my life and yet she would fill my mind with the hideous personalities and characteristics some men possessed. But I guess her excuse of being slightly eccentric was because she was a mother who cared for her daughter very deeply.

"N-nope," I lied, hoping that I didn't sound too obvious. Even though I loved my parents very much, I didn't want them to be bothered with my complicated relationship with Victor. I knew that my dad was going to disapprove of it while my mom would start squealing with delight if ever she learned about our relationship.

My mom looked slightly disappointed. She walked over to my bed and sat down on top of it. Her hand ran along my back. "Elijah, we've talked about this thousands of time. You can tell me everything, most especially if it's about boys."

I only smiled back at my mom, wishing that my face didn't betray me. Sorry mom, but this was not your usual boy problem. This was my problem and she need not be involved. But now that I thought of it, she was already involved. At least the _others _wouldn't be able to find this place immediately. We were practically in the middle of nowhere. The city was too far from our house.

Even though the house was quite isolated, having a few neighbors which were a miles away from us, that didn't mean we had a poorly constructed house. Nope. It was the exact opposite. Our house was quite huge with lots of windows. In fact, our living room consisted mostly of glass walls so we could always look at the beautiful scenery outside our house. At our backyard, we had a huge piece of land where grapes grew. Rows and rows and rows and rows and rows and rows of grapes.

My parents ran a winery and we had a total of 73 men working in it. Some picked the grapes while some made the wine. When I was younger, I used to ran around the vineyard, barefoot. And as I grew older, I started helping out in picking of grapes or maybe in making the wine. Did I ever mention to you that I just loved stepping on the grapes. But as the years went by, I became too obsessed with my studies.

Yup. I was a nerd.

"Are you and Victor having sex?" my mom suddenly popped the question which almost made me choke.

"WHAT?"

"I said..."

I raised my hand to stop my mom from repeating the obscene question. "I heard you mom and I can't believe that you don't have faith in me. Of course we're not doing such..._perverted _thing. Sure, we kissed a couple of times but..."

This time, it was my mom's turn to interrupt. "Oh really? Is he a good kisser?"

Heat rose to my cheeks. We fell silent for a moment. I didn't know whether to answer the question or not. I glanced up at my mom who had a smile on her face. I sighed. It wouldn't hurt to tell her one simple truth, right? "Y-yeah," I admitted, not helping myself when I started to turn red as a tomato. My mom chuckled and patted my cheek.

"You never told us what's the relationship between the two of you," my mom said, looking at me with concerned eyes. I knew that look. My mom didn't want me to get hurt.

I sighed. "It's complicated," I stated. "And I don't want to talk about it so can I have some sleep?"

My mom still had that look on her face. "Okay. But one piece of advise, don't let fear stop you from being happy," my mom said, kissing me on the forehead and leaving. She gave me one last smile before closing the door behind her.

"Thanks mom," I whispered as soon as the door closed. Her advise was helpful...that was if we were talking about a normal guy who just wanted to have a normal life with me. But this was Victor we were talking about. I wasn't so sure if I would be happy if I would give myself to him. Wherever he went, trouble was sure to follow. I didn't want to live life running all the time. I just wanted to settle down in the future. Victor wouldn't be able to give me that so I was bound to get hurt. I was so sure of it.

His life was an adventure. I just wasn't so sure if I wanted to take part of it...

**PLEASE REVIEW. ^^**

**Current Playlist: The Adventure by Angels and Airwaves. **


	26. Part TwentySix: LIPS OF AN ANGEL

**Hey guys! I'm back with another update which I hope everyone will like. ^^ School's great...since classes were suspended for the whole week! Wahahahahaha. Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: X-men is not mine.**

Part TwentySix: LIPS OF AN ANGEL

Breakfast was very uneventful. My dad sat across Victor around the table as we ate. They were both glaring at each other, as if they were wishing that looks could really kill. No one spoke a word and a heavy atmosphere settled uncomfortably on us. I could barely digest the muffins and ham on my plate. Both men didn't even blink, making me wonder what was going on inside their heads. Were they both wishing that the other one would die?

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" my mom spoke up, hoping to sound very cheerful. Despite of my mom's loud and startling voice, the two men didn't waver. They had stood their grounds, neither one of them wanting to admit defeat.

Men really did have huge egos.

I sighed, exasperatedly. This was going to be hopeless. The only thing that could stop them now were either killing one of them off or simply, pulling someone away from the other. I abruptly stood up, making sure that I would make a very loud noise with my chair. It was still a futile attempt to stop whatever they were doing. Groaning subconsciously, I tried to come up with a way to put a stop to this before it might go out of hand. "I'm planning to give Victor a tour around the vineyard," I said, sternly while shooting a deadly glance towards Victor's direction. He had completely ignored me.

"Only the two of you?" my father asked, suspiciously. He had finally took his eyes off Victor and was now looking at me, quizzically.

"Is there something wrong with that, dad?" I asked, innocently. I couldn't see anything wrong with showing some hospitality around.

My dad was hesitant for a moment with his mouth hanging open. He was about to say something when my mom interrupted him. "Of course not. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, that's a very good idea!" my mom exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Once again, she was trying to cover me up from my father and was preventing him to say no. I almost shook my head in disbelief. She was totally clueless to what was going on between me and Victor and yet she kept on pushing the two of us together. I couldn't blame her though, because I wasn't even telling her half of our story. I guessed she still wasn't ready for that kind of information...the less she knew, the safer she would be.

Victor was instantly on his feet and was guiding me to the backdoor that led to the vineyard. His hand touched my back but I instantly pulled away from it knowing that my dad was watching and also because it was just a disturbing habit of mine. Before my dad could even protest, I closed the backdoor behind us as soon as we got out.

"What do you want to talk about?" Victor asked, tilting his head to one side.

"Not here," I snapped. I grasped his hand (out of instinct) and started leading him farther away from the house. I wouldn't want to take a risk of letting my dad hear our conversation. We passed by several grapevine and some workers who were so respectful and kind enough to greet the two of us along the way. I tried my best to greet them back but continued to move very hastily. Surprisingly, Victor let me lead the way. He wasn't complaining nor was he going against me.

I led him towards the cellar where we kept the wine we were able to make. At this time of the year, I was very certain that the place would be deserted. Winter was coming but the good thing about this part of the country was the fact that even though it should be winter, it was not freezing like in New York. I never really liked the cold weather. But right now, I was thankful for it because winter meant no harvest. No harvest meant no wine-making. No wine-making meant very few workers. So that would give me some privacy with Victor and less people to worry about.

We got inside a room filled with different kinds of barrels stacked on top of the other. It was poorly lit but there was enough light to pass through the windows. I made sure that there was no one around before I faced Victor. I was quite taken aback when I saw him grinning smugly at me. "You're grinning," I said, cautiously.

"And?" he asked innocently.

I narrowed my eyes on him. "Oh don't give me that crap. There's something going on inside that head of yours," I snapped.

Victor kept on grinning. "That's why we have a mind, Eli. It's in our nature to have something going on inside it," he stated.

"I know what you mean but with that smile of yours, I know that you're thinking of _other _things," I said, stressing on the word _other._

"You want to know?" Victor asked.

I shrugged. His thoughts were sometimes obscene so I never really liked to know what was going on inside his head.

He raised his hand and it was then that I realized that I was still holding on to it. Immediately, I pulled my hand away and blushed. The smirk on his face made me uncomfortable to even look back at him. "D-don't get the wrong idea," I stuttered.

Victor chuckled. He leaned forward, bringing his face closer to mind. "Don't worry. My idea's not wrong," he whispered with his breath hot on my face. I stood my ground and faced him with a very determined expression on my face.

"Let's get serious, okay?" I said, stiffly.

Victor only smirked but he did back off a bit. He didn't say anything.

"Since you're staying at my house, we should make some rules and we should see to it that we will follow those rules. Okay?"

Victor suddenly yawned. "Let me tell you one thing. Rules and me are in a complicated relationship," he said, dryly.

I ignored his snide remark and went on. "Here's rule number one: You shall not hurt my parents or anyone in this town. I wouldn't want to hear some news about some missing people or dead people, understand?" I gave him a very hard look.

Victor only shrugged so I took that as a sign to go on.

"Number two: I do not want you touching me in front of my parents or else they might misunderstand us."

That made Victor snort but once again, I pretended that it never happened. I was about to say something when his hand touched my cheek.

"Rule number three: I'll sleep on your bed every night," Victor cooed.

I tried to slap his hand off me but he quickly caught it. He clucked. "Rule number two states that I can't touch you in FRONT of others. Unfortunately, it doesn't say anything about touching you while their backs are turned," he sneered, bringing his face closer and closer to mine.

My hand fell on his chest to restrain him from coming any closer. "Let me finish telling you the rules first, okay?" I said, nervously. Thankfully, he obliged.

"Rule number three is unacceptable," I stated.

"Fine, it's not a rule then. Let's just say that it's a mere _suggestion_. And anyway, I know that you can't sleep properly. I can smell your anxiety from downstairs," he told me, brushing a strand of hair off my face. His claw-like nail almost grazed my skin and my heart made an involuntary jumped. I could feel its roughness and its danger and something about it made me feel extremely uncomfortable and fully-aware how Victor's body was so close to mine.

He froze, a smile tugging the corners of his lips. "Oh, I can smell something."

My back instantly went rigid. "W-what?" I asked, cautiously.

"I smell fear," Victor replied. He paused. "And a scent I've never expected from you."

I gulped, not understanding what Victor was talking about.

"Anyway, rule number three is..."

"Is that the only thing on your mind right now?" he asked, seductively.

That question baffled me. "What do you mean?"

He laughed. "You don't have to hide it. I know that you're distracted."

I raised an eyebrow. It was no use. Victor was just trying to stop me from saying the rules out loud. "Anyway..."

"Let's just get this thing over with," he growled, roughly pinning me on the wall, totally catching me off guard.

What the heck was wrong with him?

No words could get out of my lips as I watched him with confusion. He looked so serious with his eyes so dark and clouded with an emotion I had always seen but never really understood.

"Rule number three is?" he muttered under his breath. Upon saying those words, his lips slowly searched for my ear. It instantly made me melt. My mind went blank and I had forgotten all the other rules I had made up the night before.

"Victor," I mumbled. "Stop it."

His facial hair grazed on my bare skin, tickling me and making me feel really..._different_.

"Let's just say the rules aren't really important right now," Victor said, while he pressed his lips on my exposed skin on the neck. It brought out a gasp from me. It was absolutely tickling me.

Taking my face with both of his hands, he made me look at his eyes. "I smelled your arousal," he said, smirking a bit. Hearing those words coming from his mouth, I felt like my whole body was jell-o. I couldn't help but be scared and be embarrassed.

"I'm not!" I denied, struggling in his grasp. His claws started to grow remarkably longer, pricking my skin in the process. I whimpered at the small jab of pain from my left cheek. The tip of his lethal claw had accidentally hit my cheek, resulting to the appearance of a very small amount of blood.

"You can't lie to me," he whispered, dangerously. "I can just smell you."

I was about to say something to defend myself when his mouth took mine in a very deep, alluring kiss. No space separated us as he pressed me on the wall. I could feel his whole body on mine and I was very much aware how his hand had reached to touch my thigh. I gasped when Victor brought my leg up to his waist. He was almost crushing me into the wall but he didn't care. We were too busy focusing on the passionate kiss we were sharing. His tongue started to explore my mouth and I tried to follow his lead.

I still needed to get a hang of this.

I moaned in pleasure when his other hand started rubbing the back of my neck.

"Oh. A soft spot," he mused.

"Shut up," I snapped, feeling very flushed.

He pressed his lips on mine, urging me to open my mouth and I instantly obliged.

The rules had completely flown out of my head. My hand ran across Victor's hair, and started to grasp a fistful of it but I was quite dismayed to find out that his hair wasn't long enough for me to fiddle with.

I could feel the heat radiating from Victor's body and it seemed to make me lose all my senses. As the seconds went by, Victor was getting rougher and rougher on me and as the seconds passed by it started to feel unbearably warm. I could taste him and I could feel him. Most importantly, I could feel myself. My whole body was on fire and I was yearning for him. I wanted him closer to me.

A growl rippled in Victor's throat. It was a sound of pure frustration. He was getting greedier and greedier and I could feel his lust as he was getting more and more out of control. His claws were getting longer and longer as his animal senses was getting into him.

Unconsciously, he tore through the sleeve of my blue sweater. I heard the sound of cloth being ripped apart and I almost jumped by the intrusion of sound. I broke away from Victor and searched for the culprit of the noise. It was then that I saw the large tear on my sweater. I cussed mentally. They would definitely get suspicious with that rip. "V-Victor," I said, in between breaths.

"Hm?" Victor said, not quite paying attention. He was attacking the exposed skin near my collarbone.

"I think we should stop this now before it goes too far," I said, still catching up with my breath.

"Why? The fun is just about to start," Victor mumbled, pulling me closer to him. I could feel every bunch of his muscle at this distance. I could feel his tensed posture and I could feel his need for me.

"N-no," I said, firmly.

He was about to say something when the door suddenly burst open. Terrified, I was about to pull away from Victor when I felt a restraining hand at my back. I glared at Victor. "Let me go," I hissed.

He only smirked. "No," he said, playfully but once again, I could see that he was irritated for being interrupted. Standing at the doorway was my dad who looked furious with his face getting redder and redder by the minute. His eyes were cold and hard as it landed on Victor who was clutching me so closely to his body. "What the heck are you two doing? I can hear you outside the cellar!" my father cried, waving his hands angrily. He turned to me. "You, out! I'm going to have a man to man talk with this guy."

Horror gripped me. "W-what are you going to do?" I asked, shakily. I could feel Victor letting go of me. I instantly looked up to meet his gaze. "What are you going to do with him?" I whispered, reserving those words for his ears only.

"We're going to talk," my dad answered.

Victor grinned. "He's lucky to be your father, or else I would have killed him on the spot," he muttered darkly.

Slowly, I started to head out of the cellar, frequently looking back to check on the two men. I strained my ear to listen but the two of them were whispering with voices that were just so low for me to hear. I sighed. I wouldn't be able to do anything right now but only hoped that they would emerge out of the cellar in one piece.

I just hoped I could trust Victor.

I paced back and forth in front of the cellar door, bracing myself to hear angry cries and shouts from the inside. At least, I would be reassured that both of them hadn't finished the other off if ever I would hear them fighting inside. But the silence that impended over the cellar made me more anxious. I fought the urge to open the door to check on the two grown men. I wasn't so sure if I was more worried for my father's safety or Victor's. But thinking back on Victor's claws, I knew that my father had no chance of defeating him.

Talking about the claws...

I checked the torn fabric of my sleeve. This was going to raise speculations and I was very sure that my mother go frantic and eager to hear the juicy details. I bit my lower lip at the sudden reminiscence of our passionate kiss inside the cellar. Damn. Why did he have to be a good kisser? I had lost myself completely to him. He was just so tantalizing and he knew what to do to make me give in so easily.

I felt a tingling sensation running up to the back of my neck...the exact same spot where Victor had touched as he kissed me. I felt heat rising to my cheeks at the remembrance of the pleasurable jolt I received from the contact. Unconsciously, I rubbed the back of my neck. This was not good. Victor had discovered my weak spot and I knew that he was definitely going to use it against me.

My train of thoughts was interrupted when the door burst open. My dad came out first with a very grumpy look on his face. Aside from the sour look, he looked fine. There were no signs of scratches or injuries.

At that, I had been able to breathe easier.

Victor walked out of the cellar right after my father. He had this very smug look on his face, as if he had just emerged out of a victorious battle. His eyes sought out mine as soon as he saw me. My father noticed his eagerness and he just grunted. "We're not finish yet," he grumbled, walking away. Victor chuckled rather rudely. His arm slowly went around my shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll try to remember that," Victor said.

I shrugged his arm off me. "Rule number two," I reminded him under my breath. He only smirked down on me but he was decent enough to put his arm back to his side. It annoyed me how he had seemingly forgotten all about the rules. But now that I thought of it, he was too busy _sniffing _me to give a damn to any of my rules. Heck, I bet he wouldn't even remember them later on.

With one final glare, my dad went off. "Don't get your hopes up, boy," he growled.

"I guess I'll let you have the last words," Victor mumbled, giving me a wink.

With their odds gestures, it made me wonder what they had talked about inside the cellar. Did my father know? Did Victor say something about our relationship? As those questions floated inside my head, I had the sudden urge to voice them out but I was also scared of what the answer might be. I turned to Victor and gave him a puzzled look. "What was that about?" I asked, unable to contain the nagging sense of curiosity.

"What's what?" he asked, skeptically.

"You know what, scratch that answer. I don't want to know," I said, rolling my eyes.

When I was about to walk away, Victor grabbed my arm and pulled me to him. "So...where were we when we were so rudely interrupted?" he whispered to my ears.

"Oh let me think." I kicked him at the crotch, making him let go of me in the process. He doubled over. "Nevermind that too!" I exclaimed, turning on my heels and leaving him there with a very pained expression on his face.

"Oh, we'll see about that," Victor shouted after me.

Yeah right...

**So? How was it? ^o^**

**Current Playlist: Lips of An Angel by Hinder.**

**So i've been thinking...i should probably lay off grunge songs for a while...O_O**


	27. Part TwentySeven: REMEMBER SUNDAY

**Yehey! This story officially has 200+ reviews and it's all thanks to everyone who read this story and liked it. To be honest, you guys are the best. Thank you for all those who reviewed and put this in their alerts and favorites. Without you guys, there will be no chapter 27 today. Haha. **

**Anyways, I hope you'll like this chapter! ^_^**

**Disclaimer: Victor Creed is not mine and I do not get paid for this. **

Part TwentySeven: REMEMBER SUNDAY

Some people said that we didn't have any recollections of our memories when we were 4 years old and below. We only knew what our parents told us. In my case, I could not remember anything from the time I was born until I was six years old. The only real memory I could remember was waking up in a hospital with my parents' face hovering above my face. I was covered with bandages and I could barely move because of the cast around my left leg. I didn't know how I got there. In fact, I couldn't remember anything at all.

Of course I freaked out when I realized that I didn't know who my parents were and what my name was. Fear had a good grip on me back then. I was in a peculiar room that reeked of unpleasant smelling medicines and sick people and I had strange people around me. Not to mention, the ability to move was not available thanks to my broken leg and injuries.

At first, I wouldn't want to eat anything the nurses gave me and I refused to say a single word to my parents. Everyday and every night they sat on top of my bed and told me stories of my earlier years or simply, fairy tales. My mom would usually bring a book with her and read it out loud for me to hear and my dad would read me the newspaper every morning. I listened but still didn't speak. I was still afraid and so confused.

For weeks it went on like that. My parents were patient enough to take it step by step. They did not force me to remember and told me to take my time. They were the only people I trusted especially since after waking up I became quite paranoid with the people around me. I always imagined them sneering at me or looking at me with malice, but whenever I looked at my parents, they were always wearing a smile on their face.

Alas, after a month of silence, I finally broke through my shell.

It was a fine morning and my dad was reading to me the newspaper as usual. We were in the Editorial page and he was reading to me the editor's stand for mutant rights. He kept on reading, oblivious to the fact that I couldn't comprehend what he was talking about. Finally, my stomach growled angrily. My hand fell on top of it, as if to shush it. The second time it growled, my father had finished reading the Editorial. The growl had caught his attention and it made him smile. Feeling really annoyed and humiliated, I looked at my father in the eyes, mustering my darkest expression and muttered only one word.

Hungry.

With just that simple word, my parents were overjoyed. They thought that I had completely lost the ability to grasp words that was why they were reading to me all kinds of books in the hope that some of my memories would return.

Unfortunately, none of them came back, but they didn't care. As long as I was safe and alive, they were contented.

Three days after saying my first word, I was released from the hospital and finally came back home. My mom always said that I was smiling ear to ear when I saw a very spacious vine yard at the back of our house. It became my very own playground. The workers were wary of me, afraid that I might injure myself or bother them in their work but as time passed, they finally got used to my pestering.

It wasn't until I turned seven when I learned how I loose my memories.

I visited my grandparents somewhere far from my hometown so I had to use an airplane. My aunt came to accompany me in my trip. I stayed there for almost a month together with my cousins. It was when I was going back home when things got hazy. The plane had a severe turbulence and I wasn't quick enough to fasten my seat belt. I was thrown around the airplane and hit my head pretty badly, resulting to my amnesia.

Why was I telling you this?

I had no idea...

**:**

I sat on the sofa, wondering how on earth Victor could put up with my mother. She was babbling on and on about my stubbornness and disinterest with boys and clothes while he sat on an armchair looking discreetly bored but tried very hard to listen.

Of course, this was new for me. I never took Victor for the type who would tolerate this type of situation. Thirty minutes had passed and I was expecting him to start yawning and excuse himself. Or maybe, he would simply walk out of the room and do whatever he wanted. But not one of those happened. He sat still and pretended to be interested.

Or most probably, Victor would start having a tantrums and cut my mother's throat out of boredom. I shuddered at the bloody thought, hoping that it would only remain as a thought.

"And then, there's this other time when..."

"Tell me, Evelyn, do you know anyone with the name Erik Lensherr?" Victor suddenly inquired. The boredom in his eyes were no longer evident but it was replaced with a glimmer of mischief. He cocked his head to one side as he studied the reaction formed on my mother's face. Her abrupt silence had caught my attention. I snapped out of my trance and turned to look at my mother. Her face had gone considerably pale and her eyes were wide. Her mouth was left hanging open. This expression puzzled and distressed me.

Hand it to Victor to make everyone's day miserable...

"Y-yes. I know him," my mom finally answered as soon as she composed herself. The tone in her voice had changed and her gayness had drastically dropped. She brought her chin up. "And how did you know him?"

That brought a playful smile on Victor's lips. "Well, isn't this nice?" he said, sardonically. A claw found its way to the armrest and he started drawing circles around it. The familiar cold grasp of fear came over me. I studied Victor's face very cautiously. I knew that sort of tone in his voice. It wasn't the tone he used to taunt me. He used that tone to taunt the _others_.

My mom's back became rigid and her thin lips were on a tight smile. I could see that it was definitely force. "A friend of yours, I suppose?" she said, dryly.

Victor laughed rambunctiously. "I'm a friend to nobody but myself," he stated. "Now I'm sure you know him. Eliot knows him. And I know him so let's keep the feelings mutual and forget the hospitality crap. Shall we?"

My mom chuckled nervously. "That's a great idea." And she bustled out of the room.

Silence filled the air and a tensed atmosphere swirled above our heads. I was dumbstruck at what I had just witnessed. I sneaked a glance at Victor's direction, contemplating whether it was a good time to ask him who Erik Lensherr was or why my mom was so affected with the name. Looking at the expression on Victor's face, I knew that it wasn't the right time yet.

"You were saying?" Victor asked making me jump with fright.

"Huh? I wasn't saying anything," I said quickly.

Victor laughed. "Oh but I think I heard you say something."

That was creepy. I didn't say anything. I SWEAR! Victor couldn't possibly read my mind. It wasn't one of his abilities.

"Who's Erik Lensherr you asked?" Victor said, repeating the same question ringing inside my head. My mouth dropped open and I stared at him with disbelief. HOW THE HECK WAS HE DOING THIS?

He snickered. "I'm not reading your mind, Eli. Your expression is just too readable," he scoffed.

Ha! That's what a mind-reader would usually tell to his victim. I wouldn't fall for that act. Cautiously, I scooted away from him as if he had a contagious disease. He was in the mood to make everyone's day bad so I wouldn't want to get near him at all. Acting on my instincts, I stood up. "I'm going to my mom," I said, almost slapping the palm of my hand to my forehead in the process. Why did I have to tell him that? I could go anywhere I wanted. This was my house after all.

As soon as those words stumbled out of my mouth, Victor also got up to his feet and was now standing in front of me with his face barely inches away from my face. The sudden minimal distance between us caught me off guard so I landed back on the sofa. Seeing my vulnerability, Victor leaned closer while placing his hands near my sides, locking me in place.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked. His voice was dangerously low.

I swallowed before answering him. "To my mom. Is there a problem?" I asked.

A sour expression appeared on his face. "And who told you that our conversation was over?"

I shrugged, trying hard not to melt under his heavy gaze.

"I've noticed that you've been quite rebellious and I've been too soft around you for a while," he whispered.

I knew where this was heading to.

"It seems like we've forgotten something around here."

I gathered up my courage to put on the meanest glare I could muster. "We've forgotten nothing, Victor. In fact, I just remembered something," I said, venomously.

That angered Victor. "And what did you remember?" he asked, cringing at the tone on my voice. He was probably expecting me to cower at his scary expression and his lethal voice but I wasn't like that anymore. I had changed.

"My pride," I snapped at him. "Now go away."

Victor only smirked. "Make me."

I narrowed my eyes on him. He was definitely trying to test me but now that I thought of it, Victor had changed. He wasn't the same aloof and cold murderer I had met a long time ago. Somehow, he had been able to grasp a bit of his humanity back, although that didn't save him from being a sadistic and rude man he was today. Not to mention, Victor was definitely becoming more and more perverted. If this happened in the past, maybe Victor would have hurt me or do something really traumatic to me. But now, he was acting like a spoiled kid who wanted to have things his way.

It was better that way instead of having him reacting so violently if someone ever defied him.

I returned his gaze, trying hard not to be unfazed by it. I wouldn't do what he wanted me to do. It would only give him a sense of triumph over me and inflate his ego. I clenched my teeth and tried to ignore the stampede stirring inside of me.

"You're one frustrating woman, do you know that?" Victor suddenly said. "You stank of fear and yet you're too stubborn to be afraid." He shook his head in puzzlement and then his gaze was on me again. His eyes were clouded once more. It was the same eyes he had whenever his animal instincts would take control of his movements. If ever he was going to lose his self-control, no one could stop him from doing whatever he wanted to do. He could hurt me. He could kill me. And he could hurt my parents.

As those gory images filled my head, my whole body began to tremble.

He took a deep breath, savoring whatever scent was in the air. "Scared?"

I bit my lower lip but I was too hardheaded to tear my gaze off him. "W-what are you trying to prove?" I said. I was hoping that my voice wouldn't betray me but the question sounded more like a whine instead of an attempt to sound brave.

He barked out a laugh. "Funny you have the guts to ask that," he muttered. "Now be a good girl and stay still."

My back stiffened. He leaned closer- close enough for his nose to touch the top of my head. The pumping of my heart was deafening to my ears. I waited for him to do something with abated breath, hoping that my mom or my dad wouldn't barge in the room and witness this obscene scene. His chest was so close to my face and I could hear something coming from it.

_Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump._

My eyes widened in realization. HE STILL HAD A HEART?

"Yup, as I thought of it," Victor mumbled to himself as he pulled away from me.

I watched him with disbelief written all over my face. That was it?

He was now walking away from me and cocked his head to one side. "What's wrong?" he asked.

I blinked allowing my brain to process everything that had happened. What the heck was that?

He smirked, as if reading my thoughts. "You're just too readable, Eli," he sneered, flicking his wrist as if to dismiss the subject. "By the way, Erik Lensherr is someone you're definitely going to meet."

"Erik who?" I asked, finding myself in a daze. I didn't want to admit it but Victor had this spell over me and it took all my willpower to resist him. Was it really necessary to scare me like that only to smell me? I didn't find any logic in it.

"Trust me, you'll meet him," Victor said.

I stared at Victor as he moved out of the room and headed towards the kitchen. My brain was going to have major breakdown if I stay near Victor. First, I was giving him rules we needed to follow which led to a very _passionate _kiss. Second, my dad caught us in the cellar and they had a talk resulting to my father's change of attitude towards him. Third, my mom was just telling him stories about my earlier years when he mentioned the name Erik Lensherr and absolutely scared her. Third, he almost scared me to death just so that he could smell me.

Today was the most twisted Sunday ever.

_"Rule number three: I'm going to sleep on your bed every night."_

Oh God...

**ERIK LENSHERR? As in THE Erik Lensherr? Do I smell something fishy here? ;D And by the way, you might be wondering why I had to start the chapter with Elijah's recollection of the past. Don't worry. There will be a surprise for you and that memory is related to it. ^_^**

**P.S: Sorry for the shortness. I'll just make it up in the next chapter. ^_^**

**Current Song: Drive Away by All American Rejects and Remember Sunday by All Time Low**


	28. Part TwentyEight: SHE WILL BE LOVED

**Ok...I don't know what's going on with me but I'm having a really hard time coming up with something interesting and cool for this chapter and the previous one (obviously). So I'm so so so soooooooo sorry if I update really slow. But don't worry, I'll do my best to post a chapter every now and then.**

**Anyways, I would like to thank all those who reviewed and who took the time to read this story. I hope you like it. And also, I apologize for not being an interactive author so I promise that from this chapter onward I'm going to send you a message after reviewing. ^_^**

**By the way, I would like to thank LauRa-ReaDinG-XoX for giving me this great idea. If she hadn't suggested it, this chapter won't come out. ^_^**

**Disclaimer: X-men is not mine.**

Part TwentyEight: SHE WILL BE LOVED

I lied down on top of my bed, staring at the ceiling as I tried to focus my mind on my breathing. Somehow, I couldn't lull myself to sleep. Just the very thought of Victor creeping in my room was haunting me and was preventing me to get the sleep I deserved. But now that I thought of it, I hadn't been sleeping very well for the last few months. There were so many questions hanging in the air which were bothering me.

The thought of sleep was far from my mind.

For a long time, my eyes were wide open and I stared at one fixated spot at the ceiling. My ears were alert and perked as they tried to pick up sounds from the living room just below my room. The house was silent. Everyone was probably asleep; after all, it was already midnight. The moon peeked from the clouds, shining brightly amid the dark skies. Every now and then, my eyes darted to the windows checking if Victor was there. The branch reaching up to my window was making some sort of noise as it hit the window. It must have been windy outside.

I turned my attention back to the ceiling, letting my mind wander off again.

My parents were absolutely hiding something from me. They knew something I didn't. Once again, I was getting the shorter end of the stick. I was being left out from all the vital information that may or may not involve me and my future.

For the past days, I had noticed that all the people I met kept on talking about me and the stupid prophecy.

Damn it.

I rolled to my side and grabbed a pillow. I wound my arms around it and buried my face on its warm and soft surface, closing my eyes at the process. A year ago, I wouldn't have imagined being in this type of situation where I felt so clueless and so lost. It was as if I was stuck in a deserted island with no food, no water and no hope to survive.

Trust me, it didn't feel so good.

A sigh escaped my lips as I brooded, feeling so tired. A heavy burden had perched itself on my shoulders and there was nothing I could do to lessen its weight. A frown fell on my face. Of course, killing myself wasn't an option. I wasn't too desperate. I had a lot of things I wanted to experience first before I die. I could run away but then I knew that this burden would haunt me.

Or maybe I shouldn't meddle with my destiny? Maybe I should just let the prophecy happen and get this thing over with?

I shook my head, pushing those thoughts away. The very thought of bearing a child that would destroy the world greatly distressed me- not to mention the father would be the notorious Victor Creed. Man, I need to get use to that fact. How long had I known this information? Two weeks? Three? One?

My brow furrowed. When would the prophecy happen? Was there a due date or something? Surely, fate must have its schedule, right? I sighed once more overwhelmed with the new questions that popped out of nowhere.

Great...

My eyes were opened again and I stared at the east wall where I was facing; the pillow still wedged tightly between my arms. I sneaked a glance at the window, making sure that Victor wasn't there yet. There was still no sign of him.

I sat bolt upright, shaking my head vigorously as I cleared my head with those stupid questions. Why was I waiting for Victor anyway? I had closed the windows so I was very sure that he wouldn't sneak in my room. I was safe. He wouldn't be able to get to me. I needed to sleep the questions off.

My head hit the pillows as I lied down again but one pillow was still tucked between my arms. "Good night," I whispered to no one in particular. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and forced myself to sleep.

:

_Pain. Confusion. Fear._

_Those words reverberated inside my head as I studied my surroundings. It was so dark that I couldn't see anything; the only thing I could see was myself. There were no signs of light. I didn't know where I was but I was very much aware that I was isolated. There was no one in sight, but I could hear people calling my name. They were calling for help. Without second thoughts, I started to run searching for them._

Pain_._

_Whoever were wailing, they sounded hurt. I could feel their sufferings by just listening to their screams. It was heartbreaking and it made my blood run cold. And I felt more and more isolated and alone in this deserted abyss._

_"Mama!"_

_The sudden intrusion of a cheerful voice made me jump. I whirled around, searching for the source of voice. The voice sounded like it came from a child and was obviously out of place. My eyes widened when it landed on a small form running towards me. I squinted, trying to adjust my vision and see who it was. I saw a young boy running towards me with his arms outstretched. He had wide blue eyes- the bluest eyes I had ever seen. It reminded me a bit of Victor's. His hair matched my brown one. Finally, I realized that I was the one he was calling. _

_I was his mother..._

_After recovering from the initial shock, I realized that my mouth was hanging open but I found myself spreading my arms wide enough to welcome the small child. Willingly, the boy jumped into my arms and wrapped his short arms around my neck. I lifted him off the ground and hugged him, as if I had known him for a long, long time. He buried his face at the base of my neck. Instantly, my maternal instincts clicked in and I had the urge to protect him from whatever was out there. I took in his scent which reminded me vaguely of wet grass in an early morning._

_The boy's shoulder started to shake and I could hear him sniffling and sobbing so hard. I rubbed his back and whispered comforting words to him. "What's wrong?" I asked, soothingly._

_"I thought that I will never see you again," the kid said in between sobs._

_My heart felt like it was about to break into a million pieces when I heard his sweet voice. He sounded so innocent and fragile that I only wanted to hold him and keep him away from all the evil things in the world but that heart-wrenching moment vanished when a loud wailing tore through the air. The boy started to cry again. More tears started flowing out of his blue eyes. His fists went up to his face and started rubbing his eyes while letting the tears fall._

_"Shh.. It's alright. Don't listen to them," I said, hugging him tighter. I would want to cover his ears to block out the horrible cries but my arms were too preoccupied carrying him._

_"They deserve it," the boy said, gravely. His tear-stained face turned serious. He looked at me in the eyes and repeated what he had said. "They deserve it."_

Confusion_._

_"What do you mean?" I asked, baffled at the sudden change of demeanor. Although what he said was dark and eerie, there was still a trace of innocence in it. It was as if he just couldn't help it because he was a child._

_"He's trying to take me away from you."_

Fear_._

_My eyes widened. "Who?" I asked, anxiously._

_"Him."_

_My heart started to pound against my chest. Pandemonium reigned inside my ribcage as my heart went berserk. "Say his name," I said, shakily._

_"Victor Creed."_

:

I woke up with a start. My heart was pounding so hard against my chest and I found myself drenched in sweat. I was trembling from head to toe and I wasn't so sure if it was because of the cold or because of fright.

"You're awake," a voice mused at the other end of the room.

I ignored the voice and focused on calming down my heart. My breath was too hard to catch but I eventually succeeded. After a few seconds, my heart started to slow down, allowing me to breathe steadily. And now, I had to deal with the severe headache which was causing havoc inside my head. My teeth were clenched tightly and I closed my eyes.

"Nightmare?"

Instantly, I looked up to see Victor approaching my bed. As always, he had a smirk on his face. I glared at him. "No," I lied through gritted teeth. I didn't want to be bothered by him at this time. The dream I had was very troublesome and it involved _him_and _our_kid. I shuddered at the thought. How could an innocent child have a monster for a father? I closed my eyes and waited for the searing headache to subside.

I felt the bed moved as Victor sat down on top of it. A moment of silence fell and I had the distinct feeling that he was scrutinizing my face. He suddenly chortled. "Doesn't look like it," he said huskily. I didn't say anything nor did I dare open my eyes. His voice wasn't helping me get rid of my headache.

"Please, just go away," I mumbled, groaning out in frustration.

"That's kinda hard, considering you're in that state where you won't fight back," he taunted. He placed a hand on my shoulder and forced me to lie on her back. His blue eyes were on mine holding that same mysterious glint it usually had. My heart started to pick up pace when he dipped down his head to touch my forehead with his.

"Who said that I won't fight back?" I said indignantly, struggling to get out of his touch.

I saw the corner of his lips lifting and forming his signature smirk.

I prayed hard that Victor wouldn't notice the lie stumbling out of my lips. The warmth radiating from his body which was so close to mine was already attracting me. Heck, the hand on my shoulder was already burning even though the fabric of my shirt served as a barrier between our bare skins. An involuntary sigh escaped my lips and before I knew it, my eyes drooped. The minimal distance between us was unbearable but I still managed to keep a strong, clear voice.

This was Victor Creed in front of me. Before, he was a monster who would kill anyone without the slightest hint of remorse. Now, the bits of his humanity were slowly surfacing. I wondered if the cause of this change was me. The man on the wheelchair once told me that Victor had taken a peculiar interest in me and was even surprised at seeing me in one piece. Even I was surprised as well.

This time, I opened my eyes to scrutinize his face. He was looking back at me. When he noticed that I was also gazing at him, he closed his eyes and leaned forward. At first, I thought that he was about to kiss me but then he settled to having the tip of our nose touching. He sighed and slowly nuzzled me in a very affectionate and gentle way.

Now I was beginning to doubt that this was Victor Creed in front of me.

This was the man who would ruthlessly kill someone for simply looking at him. He could kill anyone with just a glare. No logical reasoning could change his mind. This was the type of man who just wanted to watch the world burn.

But why did he have this different persona whenever he faced me?

He was just a tired guy who needed some break…..A really long break. It suddenly occurred to me that his mask was already slipping. He was the one who was giving in, not me. He was losing the battle he had declared in the first place.

Why did he choose to protect me and risk his life? Of course, he had already told me that he only wanted something valuable from me that was why he was keeping me alive but it wasn't convincing. He could have forced it from me and yet he decided to wait. He could simply get anything he wanted by threatening me, or using his brute strength but he did not use the shortcut.

"Why?"

It was too late when I realized that the short question had already stumbled out of my lips.

"Why?" he repeated. The question sounded alien to him. This urged him to open his eyes and look straight into my eyes once more. It was blue just like the child from my dream…..

_Our child_.

Up until now, I was not used to hearing that. Even though the prophecy had stated it clearly that we would have a child together, the possibility was still so farfetched- that was if he would continue waiting for my permission. I would never, in a million years, let him use me as a vessel to destroy the world. I still had a grasp of my sanity.

I took in a shaky breath and continued my question. "Why me?"

Victor chuckled but his eyes held no amusement of some sort. "The question is too general. You've got to have a better question than that," he mumbled, leaning in closer. The top of his nose grazed my cheek and I felt a pleasurable jolt at the spot. I tried hard not to be fazed by it. My hand rested on top of his chest and pushed him gently off of me. Miraculously, I found him slipping at my side with his arm wrapped around waist. He pulled me closer to him and buried his face into my hair.

He was not helping in my formulation of question.

"I didn't know that you are capable of being human," I stated, frankly. The new position we were in was uncomfortable and it was making it hard for me to think.

"That wasn't your question. Your question involves you; not me."

I sighed and decided to look straight at the ceiling and pretend that his hand was not around my waist with his lips so dangerously close to my ear. His breath tickled my ear but I ignored it. "Well, if the prophecy is true, why aren't you doing anything to fulfill it?"

Once again, he laughed so softly against my ear. "Are you disappointed?" he sneered.

I rolled my eyes. "Not even close."

Silence hung lowly in the air as Victor continued to trace a line of soft kisses at the crown of my head. Lying like this with him, everything seemed to be normal; it was as if he wasn't a bad guy and I wasn't being hunted by murderers.

Beside me was a human being who was capable of feeling. I just hoped that this would last.

"Is this real?" I squeaked.

He chuckled. "No. It's just a dream."

I groaned. "I knew it."

And it only made him laugh some more.

**:**

The next day, everything _seemed _normal except for the occasional curious glances my mom kept on throwing at Victor. My dad became uncharacteristically quiet the whole day while Victor was, well, being Victor.

Here and again, I would see Victor wandering around the vineyard. The workers were obviously bothered by his presence but they were smart enough to ignore him and go on with their work. I, on the other hand, tended to stay indoors and reintroduce myself with bits of my childhood past. I read books I read back when I was in high school. I went over my drawings when I was little and realized how inartistic I was.

"Nice drawing."

I jumped when a smooth voice filled the once-silent room. I instantly closed the sketchpad I was holding and whirled around. It didn't surprise me when I saw Victor Creed standing at the doorway. He was leaning on the frame with his signature smirk pasted on his face. I scowled. "There's a door because one can always knock on it," I said, sarcastically.

"Say that again and I swear I will tear that door down so that there won't be a door to knock on," Victor threatened playfully. Although he was only mocking me, I had a feeling that he wouldn't hesitate to do that. In fact, he would probably enjoy doing it.

"You won't dare," I said.

"Try me."

"No thanks," I said quickly.

Victor approached my bed on which I sat on. He was peering closely at my sketchpad. Hastily, I tried to put it away but he snatched it away from me.

"I'll take that," he said, gruffly.

"Hey!"

He pretended to not hear me and browse through my drawings. "Very artistic," he mused.

I forced out a sarcastic laugh. "Mock me all you want."

Victor tore his gaze from the pieces of paper and sought out mine. "You really are too mockable."

Mockable? What the heck? Was there such a word?

"And your face is so readable," he said.

"What's new?" I mumbled, snatching the sketchpad away from him again.

Victor leaned forward, holding on to my gaze. He brought his face close to mine. "Last night…"

"I slept," I stated, bluntly.

Victor chuckled. "Yes, you slept—just as when we were…"

"Going to sleep too," I cut him off, standing up abruptly. I didn't even want to hear about it. My hands automatically covered my ears and I started humming to myself. The sketchpad was tucked in between my arms.

"Sit down," he barked, pushing me back on top of the bed.

I had no choice but to oblige and shoot him the meanest look which I could muster. He bent forward so that his face was leveled with mine. His piercing blue eyes were locked on to my own brown ones and a smirk smeared his face. "What's going on inside that head of yours?" he asked; his voice so dangerously soft.

I willed myself to not look away from him. "I thought I'm too readable?" I scoffed—a pathetic attempt to make him annoyed. In fact, he looked even more amused than before.

"Indeed, you are too readable," he said, chuckling. "But sometimes, your thoughts are too confusing. Can it be that you are also confused?"

Heck yeah.

Once again, another amused look flickered in his face. "You love me," he said, so bluntly—it was so simple but for me, it was the most complicated statement ever.

Love? How could I be in love with a monster like him?

Ironically, my heart started to beat fast as he mentioned the word love. Why? Why would I be in love with him? What led him to believe that I was in love with him? It was impossible. That could never happen. Sure, we kissed a couple of times but I wasn't so sure if I was brave enough to make that leap yet. I wasn't so sure if I was in love.

I tore my eyes away from him, searching for something else to look at. His blue eyes were distracting me and it wasn't making me think any clearer. How would I know if I was in love? Were there signs? Where were the red lights that would signify that I loved this guy?

"You love me. Admit it," he whispered.

The nearness….. I could almost feel his skin against mine and it made me shudder.

This guy didn't know the meaning of love. He only knew lust. Who was he to tell me that I was in love with him?

"Look at me," he hissed; catching my chin and making me face him. I resisted but his nails dug unto my chin, pricking it slightly. He noticed the small red spot—that was my blood— at the place where he accidentally injured. Without warning, he brought his lips on it and licked the blood away. And at that moment, I felt like my whole body was on fire. The feel of his rough, wet tongue against my bare skin made me dizzy and light headed. Was this love? Or was this lust?

His lips lingered on that spot before moving up to catch my lips.

"Victor," I warned, against his lips.

He ignored me and roughly pushed me back, making me lie on top of my bed with him on top of me. He would have been heavy if he hadn't had his arms supporting his whole weight. The kiss wasn't rough nor was it in haste. He was being gentle and cautious. Because of this, it was making me woozy.

But no matter how tempting it was to lie down and kiss him the whole day, my conscience was shouting at me to stop it before it would go too far. Plus, the fact that the door was open made me hesitant to continue.

"Victor—the door," I mumbled, thoroughly distracted by the way he nibbled my ear. I heard him growl in frustration but didn't even bother to stand up and close the door. "The door," I repeated, stubbornly.

"I don't care if it's open," Victor rumbled.

"Just close the door," I pleaded, getting a little impatient as I pushed him away from me. Victor tugged the hem of my shirt playfully before getting off of me and walking over to the door. He slammed it shut, obviously irked.

He looked at me and asked, "Better?"

"It would have been better if you had gently closed it. What if my parents heard that and they would come up to check on me? They wouldn't be happy to find you harassing me," I said.

"You call that harassing?" Victor asked, sarcastically.

I smirked. "Yes."

He chuckled. "I'm not forcing you to kiss me."

"Yes, you are."

Slowly, he approached the bed and stood beside it. I sat up and met his gaze. He smirked. "You're parents aren't in here."

"Where are they?" I asked, calmly even though I could feel my heart picking up pace. If my parents weren't at home, then that meant we were alone.

"They went out, I guess," Victor replied.

"Damn," I muttered under my breath.

Victor merely grinned down at me. "So that means we're all alone," he said, climbing up on top of the bed. "You can scream all you want but no one will come and save you."

If Victor had said that the first time we met, I would have fainted from terror. But at the present, it had a different effect on me. The huskiness of his voice made me shiver with anticipation and I just couldn't explain the fire that burned deep within me. I met his gaze and noticed that his eyes were beginning to darken. Then, there was that sudden yearning to run my fingers all over his face. I wanted to know the feel of his bare skin underneath my hand. I wanted to be enveloped by his warmth.

I just wanted him.

As if reading my mind, his lips found mine and he started to kiss me furiously. One hand supported his weight while the other hand was rubbing my thigh, but then his hand moved up and slipped under my shirt. His hand hovered over my bare stomach, making me feel like jell-o.

"S-stop," I stammered, quickly grasping my sanity back.

"Why should I?" he asked. His nails were tracing circular patterns on my bare stomach and it was making it harder for me to think straight once again. My senses were slipping away from me again.

So the prey had finally fallen under the predator's trap. I had read a book on animals somewhere that said there is this certain type of predator whose bite acts like a sedative and it relaxes its prey so it will not struggle as it tries to eat it.

So this was probably what the prey felt.

"You can't fight me. Elijah," he whispered. He brought his face towards my stomach and started making a trail of soft kisses up to my navel. His lips were coming dangerously close to my chest and it was making it hard to breathe. "We can't fight our destiny."

Was it really our destiny to have a child together? Was that the one which brought me in this situation?

I felt my whole body trembling violently. Victor sensed it too so he stopped and brought his face close to mine once more. His hand caressed my face, careful to not scratch me with his claws. He smirked. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

My hand flew up to his face, wanting to feel its texture. I was not surprised to find his facial hair prickly against the palm of my hand. I continued to run my hand all over his face, feeling his eyelashes, the curve of his nose, the softness of his lips, and his eyebrows. Fortunately, it had lessened my trembling. I looked straight into his eyes, mustering up my courage. "I'm not afraid of being hurt. I'm just afraid of losing you."

This made him smile—not the usual mischievous grin he always had. This time, it was more on relief and triumph. "Remember what I told you?"

"What?"

"You can't run away from me."

….

And the rest, you do not want to know.

**SURPRISE! I feel so evil right now. ^_^**

**P.S: You can kill me now for the veeeeeeeerrrrryyy late update. I won't be surprised if you guys are angry at me. I AM SOOOO SORRY! It's not my fault! Tom Hiddleston is distracting me! (Oh-oh, Liev might get jealous….O_O)**

**Current Song: She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5**


	29. Part TwentyNine: IT ENDS TONIGHT

**First off, I want to say MERRY CHRISTMAS to all my readers and those who just so happened to press the link to my story. ^_^ Second, I would want to greet a Happy New Year to all of you. School had been hectic even my vacation schedule is full so it's really hard to actually update. Kill me now, if you want. I know a lot of you are mad at me for updating sooooo late and leaving you hanging last time but I'm planning to make it up to you guys.**

**And anyways, too excited for the AVENGERS! Who's with me? Too bad, though, that Wolverine isn't there yet. At the bright side, Loki's there! ;D**

**P.S: Forgive my ignorance when it comes to _that_.**

**Disclaimer: X-men. IS. NOT. MINE. **

Part TwentyNine: IT ENDS TONIGHT

_That night, I had another dream that involved my child. We were still stuck in the lightless, isolated place. There were no signs of life except for mine and my son's. I was scared but I had to be brave for him. I willed myself to keep on walking despite the warning bells blaring inside my head. The child was clinging to my hand so tightly—as if his life depended on it. I squeezed it reassuringly but I couldn't help but feel quite uneasy. I had a distinct feeling that something bad was going to happen. _

"_Mom, where are we going?" he asked. His small, sweet voice was trembling slightly._

"_We're going home," I answered. _

_Home? How could we go home? We were in a place where escape seemed like a mere dream—a figment of my imagination. _

"_He'll be waiting for us in there," the boy muttered, darkly. His grip slackened for a moment and then tightened once more._

"_Who? Victor?" I asked._

_He nodded his head vigorously. "I don't like him, mom. Why won't he leave us alone?" he asked._

"_Because he's your father," I replied._

_I didn't know where my feet were taking us but I felt more and more confident than before. It even made me smile reassuringly at the little boy. "Don't be scared. He won't hurt you."_

"_I know that he won't hurt me. I'm stronger than him."_

"_Then, why are you scared?"_

"_I'm afraid that he might hurt you."_

**:**

I woke up with a start as soon as the dream ended. It was funny how I was aware that it was a dream the whole time but then, it was so real and convincing. Was it possible that my child was already warning me even before he is be born?

Gawd, I had to get used to that.

I rolled to my side, checking if Victor was there. He wasn't. There was no one beside me. My heart sank at the realization. I had to admit, I was expecting him to be lying down beside me. It was disappointing to see that he was already gone. By just judging the coldness of the empty space beside me, it was evident that he had left for a long time already.

I let out a sigh before slipping off my bed. I went over to my closet as I was about to pull out a new set of clothes since Victor had destroyed the one I wore a while ago. As I passed by the mirror, I noticed that I was wearing a shirt, but it wasn't mine. I froze on my tracks and stared at my disheveled face on the mirror. The shirt was too big for me. It hung down below my knees and its long sleeves hid my hands. The image reminded me of a kid trying on her daddy's work clothes.

It took me a while to comprehend that it was Victor's.

My face suddenly grew hot as the realization hit me. I didn't know why but I found the simple gesture as a sweet thing. He let me wear his shirt either because it was cold or because he felt protective over me. The two possibilities made me smile.

_Or maybe, he just felt like it, _the small, rational voice inside my head whispered. I groaned frustratingly, remembering that this was Victor Creed we were talking about. His ability to be a compassionate neighbor was still under thorough investigation.

But last night, he _felt _different somehow. Of course, I was terrified at the expanse of his strength and the possibility of him breaking my neck at the most intimate touches but the fear went away as soon as his lips were pressed to mine. His kisses weren't as gentle as before. He was determined to deepen it until it reached its limit. Both of us were eager to get the upper hand but, at the same time, yielded to one another. In each bare contact, it felt like a fire was ignited at the pit of my stomach and its warmth spread to every part of my body, but the fire would be replaced with another fire that was more intense than the last one.

I could feel his heart beating wildly in each caress I made. My whole body wouldn't stop trembling every time I felt his hand on me. I shudder at the simplest of touch and I could feel the warmth blossoming at the spot where his huge hands held me. I yearned for his touch—the touch which I used to fear.

A smile found its way to my face as I started reminiscing.

"What's so funny?"

The hair at the back of my neck rose at the entry of a familiar voice. I kept my gaze on the mirror as I watched Victor's reflection. He had a huge smirk on his face and he was walking towards me. He was wearing a white shirt and his usual pair of pants. It was weird seeing him without his long coat on or his favorite shirt (which I was currently wearing).

"Nothing," I replied, dismissively. I continued my scrutinizing. As I stared at my own reflection, I felt different. It was as if this body wasn't mine anymore. Someone else had possessed it—and he was standing behind me, sizing me up.

"No broken bones?" he asked, softly.

"I don't think so," I answered.

"Good. Last time, I broke a pretty woman's neck," he said, sounding serious.

That caught me off guard.

"Lucky me, I suppose," I muttered, dryly.

"How's your back?" he asked.

"Back?" I reiterated, dubiously. "Why? What's wrong with my back?"

"Just turn around," he grumbled, grabbing my shoulders. I winced as pain stabbed through me. He frowned when he noticed that my eyes widened slightly at the contact. "Take off the shirt."

My face turned deep scarlet at the order.

"N-NO!" I almost yelled, stepping out of his grasp.

"Stop being such a prude and take it off," he growled, grabbing my wrist and pulling me closer to him. I yelped as pain shot through me once more.

He clucked his tongue. "I think you've got a sprained wrist," he said, inspecting my casualty. The warmth which radiated from his hands enveloped my throbbing wrist and it made me feel a tad bit calm. My knees buckled as the memory from last night flashed through my head once more. I suddenly had an urge to wrap my arms around him and feel the rawness of his heat once more.

His claws lightly probed my soft flesh, making me shiver in anticipation. It was funny how his skin was so warm and yet his deadly claws were so cold.

"Elijah," he said with his flawless and smooth voice. I almost moaned when I heard my name rolling in his tongue. I was never really fond of my name but it had become my favorite ever since I heard Victor saying it.

"Eli?" he repeated. This time, he squeezed my shoulders to get my attention. I yelped as the pain screamed at me, interrupting my dazed thoughts. I looked up to see him looking at me, wide-eyed and curious. I felt the color creeping to my cheeks as I realized that I was having dirty thoughts while he was standing in front of me.

"U-uh. I think I should put on decent clothes instead of just a shirt," I said, sheepishly.

To be honest, I was back to being conscious. I wore nothing underneath the thin fabric of the shirt and I felt embarrassed all of a sudden. It was as if I had just woken up by a bucket of ice cold water. I chuckled nervously before approaching my closet.

Victor quickly squeezed my wrist which made me gasped slightly. He smiled slyly as I gritted my teeth. I tried to pull away from his grasp but he wouldn't let go. This earned him a glared.

Finally, Victor's grip relaxed. "Don't worry. I think you'll live," Victor cooed as he let go of my wrist. "Now let me check your back."

I stared back at him, defiantly. "No way."

Victor frowned impatiently. "Don't let me force you," he threatened, darkly.

I groaned before turning around. "Just let me cover up."

He grinned wolfishly. "We just had se—"

Without warning, I started singing a song whilst covering my ears by my hands. Victor merely shrugged his shoulders and watched me make a fool out of myself. His lips were pulled in a tight line, as he waited for me to shut up. I took this as a chance to get a pair of shorts. As I pulled it on, I used every ounce of my willpower to avoid the look Victor was giving me the whole time. I cringed upon hearing him wolf whistle.

"What?" he asked, feigning innocence.

I merely rolled my eyes knowing better than to snap at him.

This man never got irritated. The more you tried annoying him, the more irked and frustrated you would get. So if I were you, don't even think about it.

"Your back," he reminded, smirking slightly.

I let out a defeated sigh before giving him my consent to check my back.

Victor not so gently pulled the shirt up. His eyebrows furrowed together and his face scrunched up in concentration. This made me curious. I tried to get a look but it was impossible. I couldn't possibly twist my neck just to look at my back.

"Well?" I asked, impatiently.

He clucked his tongue before putting the shirt down. "You've got three scratches at the back but they are not deep enough," he said, disappointingly.

I glared at him. "Oh, so you did it on purpose?"

He laughed. "It doesn't matter anyway," he said, closing the distance between us.

I stood my ground and gazed up at him. I wanted to change the subject so I thought of a question that might distract him. "What time is it?"

"Time for dinner," he answered.

"Are they back?" I asked.

"No."

This made me worry. "Where did you say they went to?"

"Out."

I rolled my eyes. Victor and his sarcasm were back. Yey me.

"I think you should get some rest," Victor suggested.

"Rest? I just slept the entire afternoon," I protested.

A cunning smirk smeared his face. "Oh, so you're not tired anymore?"

I narrowed my eyes on him. "Will you please stop being a pervert," I said, pushing him away.

He chuckled. "Sorry. No can do."

I had to admit, the offer was tempting but something else was nagging me. The dream I had about our child was still lingering inside my mind. He had said something about Victor hurting me. I wasn't surprised to hear that but I knew that it was a warning.

Sooner or later, I would wind up hurt. It was something inevitable—like our fateful meeting or the fact that I had fallen for his trap. The prophecy was giving us no choice. We were obliged to do it until it would come to the point where I would bear a son who would probably destroy the world.

But one thing was still unclear to me. How come Victor had changed? He had turned soft—more humane. There were only two answers. Either it was really part of the prophecy or he was a really talented actor.

Let us just hope that it was the first option.

"Something bothering you?" Victor suddenly asked, interrupting my train of thoughts.

"You are bothering me," I snapped.

"I'll take that as a compliment," he stated, putting his hand around my neck. I stiffened at his touch as I felt the same electric jolt that seemed to wake me every time I felt his touch. It was gentle and light but at the same time, I could feel the strength coming from it. In just a blink of an eye, he could break my neck or strangle me to death but I knew that this gesture was an intimate one. His eyes weren't dark so that meant he was capable of thinking straight and his animal senses were controllable.

"I'm worried about my parents," I suddenly blurted out, breaking the silence that surrounded us.

"Why?"

"They should be at home by now," I answered.

"Maybe they're running a bit late."

"I'm sure they'll tell us if they're going out," I pressed on.

Victor sighed and put his hand back to his side. "What do you want me to do?"

"Let's find them."

"But don't you think that will be stupid? Why not wait?" Victor said.

Wow. And that was coming from a man who always trusted his instincts instead of his common sense. Had we switched brains without my consent?

"You're making up your own problem," he mused.

I glared at him. I hated it whenever he would make a point. I was probably getting a bit paranoid especially after the "Daken" incident. They couldn't have spotted me so fast. No one knew where we were going, except for Mystique.

"What are you thinking?" Victor asked.

"Everything," I answered, truthfully.

He snorted. "Surely, you're not thinking of everything because if you are then you'll know that I'm hungry."

"That's not what I mean, Victor."

"I know."

"Oh. Wow. You know something?" I mocked.

He just stared at me without coming up with another witty reply of his. No. He was going to get the answer he wanted by using his eyes on me. He knew that it was a weakness of mine and he was definitely going to use it against me. Well, it wouldn't hurt if I did tell him what I was thinking. It wasn't like he could do something about it—and I was a bit certain that he wouldn't lash out on me if ever I told him what was bothering me.

But I knew that he would surely taunt me if I tell him.

"You're old enough to be left alone. They do not need to ask for your permission to go out," said Victor, catching me quite off guard.

Yes, he may have a point but I knew my parents very well. I was fairly sure that they wouldn't leave me alone with a man inside the house. They were pretty much old-fashioned blokes who believed that marriage should come first before the act.

And I felt guilty for betraying my parents. Ever since I was a child, they had taught me that value, but it seemed like everything they had taught me had flown out of the window after meeting Victor. I had no choice but to oblige to the prophecy.

At this point, Victor started kneading the tensed muscle at the back of my neck, making it harder for me to think clearly and rationally. I mustered a scowl to taint my face. "Stop it, Victor. It's not helping me think," I snapped.

This only made him smirk. He brought his face closer to mine and persuaded me to look straight into his eyes. "Am I helping you now?" he taunted.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm worried, Victor. Can't you see that?"

He chuckled lowly. I felt the deep rumble at his chest as he laughed. "What's to worry about? I'm already here."

"But my parents are completely defenseless and helpless out there. You cannot protect everyone."

"I don't need to protect them. Who are they to me anyway? I only have to protect you," Victor murmured leaning in closer.

If only I could will my heart to stop beating, then I wouldn't have to focus on slowing down my breath. It was a big giveaway. Victor knew my weaknesses and he wouldn't hesitate to use it. Before he could even get any closer, I stubbornly looked away. "Stop it, Victor."

This bold statement tugged the corners of Victor's lips into a curling smile. "Why should I?" he asked, slyly. There was a short momentary silence between us. He was still smirking at me and I was hesitant to look at him in the eyes.

My parents were out there, exposed to any cold-blooded murderer who wanted to get me. What was the best way to make me come out of the open than use my parents as baits? I bit my lower lip as my paranoia grew. But they couldn't possibly know that they were my parents, right? They would have conducted some serious research on me to find that out.

Victor's hand around my neck tightened, snapping me out of my reverie. "Don't worry. Your parents can take care of themselves," he reassured, although I wasn't entirely convinced.

I eyed him warily, noting the pressure around my neck. Was he angry at me? Frustrated? I studied the features on his face. Technically speaking, he looked the same but somehow, I was seeing him in a different light. He didn't look so terrifying anymore. If it was even possible he looked a hundred percent human.

"Dinner it is," I mumbled, getting away from his grasp as I felt the sudden flood of heat along the pit of my stomach. I was afraid that if I stayed under his touch a little longer, I might do something irrational. Heck, everything I did was illogical and stupid. Victor's idiocy was contagious.

As soon as my back was turned on Victor, goosebumps started creeping on me. He was staring at me. I knew this without even glancing at him. I could feel his eyes drilling holes on my back. At this thought, my knees were about to buckle under my weight and I suddenly felt like a marshmallow, but I kept my chin up and kept on walking.

There was that unmistakable sound of someone chuckling behind me.

**:**

"I love everything you cook," Victor suddenly stated with his mouth full of roasted chicken breast, peas and minced carrots.

I stared, wide eyed at him. What the heck happened to the ludicrous Victor Creed?

He merely laughed at my initial reaction before finishing the glass of tomato juice in just one gulp. He made a face as soon as he downed one glass. "This tastes like shit."

Nope. It was still him. He was still odious.

"It's tomato juice," I informed him. "Don't you like tomatoes?"

"Did you make this?" he asked, completely dodging my question.

"Nope," I replied, hesitantly.

"No wonder I don't like it," he said, putting the glass down and continued wolfing down his dinner. Unconsciously, I cocked my head to one side and watched him eat. He really acted like a child king.

I wondered how his childhood was. Did he have a family? What made him turn out this way? All these questions troubled me. Why was I so interested in his past? Was this a sign of attachment to him? Well, now that I thought of it, I did say something to him before we had—yes, that—but I couldn't remember the content of it.

"What are you looking at?" Victor asked, gruffly. It was then that I realized that I was staring at him.

"The window," I lied, smoothly.

"You're never a good liar," Victor taunted, waving his fork at me.

Even if I did lie, he wasn't a mind reader so he wouldn't know the truth. This was one of Victor's ability that greatly amused me. He wasn't a telepath, unlike the man on the wheelchair, but he could sense when one was lying or not. Had it got something to do with his heightened human senses? Did that mean dogs could sense when one was lying?

Stupid question, I know.

I looked down on my plate and realized that I had hardly touched my chicken breast. I pushed the plate away from me.

"Are you gonna eat that?" Victor asked.

I shook my head. "It's all yours."

"You eat so little," Victor commented, as he pulled my plate closer to him.

I rolled my eyes. "It's none of your concern."

"Oh, of course it is. You see, Magneto asked me to look after you," Victor said, smiling slyly. "And anyway, it would be such a pity if I break you like a stick during one of our—"

I shot him a death glare. "Don't even say it," I hissed, menacingly.

He merely smiled. "You liked it anyway," he teased.

My back became rigid. _Elijah, do not listen to that perverted old man,_ a small voice told me. "By the way, I'm just wondering. How old are you, exactly?" I asked, hoping to change the subject.

Victor gave me a look which I could not decipher. It was a cross between confusion and indifference. "It doesn't matter anyway. I can never die," he stated, smugly.

My eyebrows slowly knitted themselves together. "Oh c'mon, give me a hint," I said, suddenly curious.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so interested?"

"Nothing," I replied. It was the truth anyway. It wasn't like his age was top secret, right?

He seemed highly alarmed by the increase of interest I was investing on him. It seemed like he wasn't so used to having people ask some questions about himself. "You do the math," he told me, sternly but unsurely. "I was present in pretty much all the wars in the world."

"Wars? Even in World War I?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "Now, leave me alone and let me eat my dinner."

I scowled at him. It seemed like I discovered something vital today. Age was a touchy subject to Victor. Just the thought of it made me feel cocky and smug. Who said that this guy could not be human? He was just a really old man who denied his age. I laughed inwardly at this breakthrough.

"Where do you live?" I asked, when I realized that the silence was starting to get on my nerves.

"Wherever you are," he answered.

At first, I laughed because I thought that he was only kidding, but when I saw the seriousness in his eyes, my smile fell and my laugh faded.

He was not joking.

"I mean, before you even met me," I explained, clearing my throat. I knew that there was no reason to be embarrassed but somehow, I was finding myself getting redder and redder in the face.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked once more.

I shrugged. "Just asking. Is it a crime to ask?"

Victor abruptly stood up , knocking his chair in the process. He leaned across the table and reached for my chin. His claw-like-nails grazed the skin on my right cheek. "I've noticed that I'm losing some respect around here," he hissed. His eyes were as hard as steel as he looked at me.

I gulped at the sudden change of mood. "F-fine. No personal questions then," I stammered.

He smirked as he sensed the fear creeping in me. I was too caught up with trying to calm down Victor that I hadn't noticed the stinging pain on my right cheek where he pricked me with his sharp claws. He turned my face, not so gently, as he studied my face. I wanted to pull away, feeling highly uncomfortable at his scrutiny.

"You look rather pale today," he whispered.

_That's because you're scaring me, stupid person_, a voice shouted. Too bad it was only inside my head.

"You have dark circles under your eyes," he went on. He released his grip from my chin. The tip of his sharp claw brushed the skin below my eye, tracing the dark circle. Unconsciously, I held my breath. Paranoia entered my brain and I panicked when I realized how close I was to becoming blind. One wrong move and he could just gouge my eyeballs out.

Suddenly, his eyes softened and his touch became lighter and gentler. He leaned in closer to cup my lips with his. At first, I was too rigid to response but when his tongue brushed my lower lip, memories from our first time crashed on me.

His warmth. His touch. The roughness of his stubble on my bare skin. The delicious friction between our bodies which ignited sparks. Every cell in my body started to jump uncontrollably at the reintroduction of the familiar heat which was spreading throughout my entire body.

I didn't know how he got to the other side of the table to stand beside me but the next thing I knew, his free hand slipped underneath my shirt. The skin where his hand touched seemed to burn. His palm pressed flat on my bare skin and his tongue inside my mouth were too much to bare. I felt extremely hot and for some reasons I had the urge to take my shirt off.

The hand underneath my shirt slowly moved up, touching the skin between my breasts. A loud moan escaped my lips, amid the war our tongues had waged against each other. Suddenly, he broke away from our kiss and looked straight into my eyes.

"Practice makes perfect," he whispered, huskily before crashing his lips on mine. His hand roughly squeezing my left breast which made me whimpered a bit too loudly. It seemed to please him since he smiled against my lips. He pushed me against the counter and made me sit down on top of it. The new position was more comfortable than while ago since I was too short to reach him and he was too tall.

As he was slowly pulling my shirt off, fear had found its way inside me again.

"Wait," I blurted out, wrapping my hands on his wrists.

He froze at the act but he still clutched on my shirt. "What?" he asked, sounding a bit dazed and far off.

"We can't do this," I said, firmly.

He growled. "Your parents are not yet coming back."

"Well, they might!" I stated, stubbornly.

"Then we'll make it fast," he pressed on, sounding impatient.

"B-but—"

Before I could even argue, he squeezed my breast once more—a little bit harder than before. "Trust me, they won't come back just yet," he mumbled against my ear, tickling it. His grasp on my breast became tighter and I had to bite his shoulder just so that I wouldn't scream in pain…or was that pleasure?

Without delay, he pulled my shirt up leaving my chest bare and exposed. He looked at me making me feel conscious about myself. I wanted to cover myself up but I knew that he was just going to laugh at my face.

"You're flat as table," he teased, squeezing my breasts. This time, he was gentler. I had been able to scowl at him before I shuddered with extreme bliss. His lips found my jaw and started making a line of soft kisses down to my nipple. He covered it with his mouth and started using his tongue to play with it. I moaned loudly, my hands gripping tightly on the edge of the counter top until my knuckles turned white as paper.

Scenes from a while ago started replaying inside my head. The way our bodies fitted so perfectly with each other. The way our hearts were in sync. Our heavy breathing becoming one.

Victor's mouth was now on the other nipple, licking and sucking it. I was slowly drowning in bliss. A funny thought entered my mind: Victor's tongue wasn't so sharp after all.

But this was pushing me off the edge. I wanted more because I knew there was more. Gathering my courage, I let go of the counter top and fumbled blindly for the buttons of his pants. I felt him smile and I froze, wondering if I was making a fool of myself.

He brought his face close to mine and looked squarely at my eyes. "I did say that we're going to make this fast, right?" he said. There was something in his voice that made me so turned on. I actually groaned.

He chuckled. His hand brushed the stray strand of hair that fell across my eyes. He tucked in behind my ear. "Too bad I pricked your pretty face," he stated before planting a soft kiss on my eye and then on the small spot of wound on my right cheek. Subsequently, his hands were playing around the waistband of my shorts. Excitement flooded through me.

"Victor," I half moaned and half said, as he pulled my shorts, along with my underwear, down to my knees. Technically, my clothes were still on me but I was, in a way, naked while he wasn't. This was unfair.

My hands reached out for his pants but he pushed them away. "Let me finish you first," he mumbled. He grabbed my knees and pulled them up on his shoulders. My eyes widened.

"Victor, what the hell are you—"

Before I could even finish my question, I felt his tongue inside me. I groaned, whimper, moaned at the sudden pleasure that surged inside me. "Victor," I choked, trying to collect my wits.

_Once wits are scattered, it is very hard to collect it again_, I thought, remembering what Pip from The Great Expectation was talking about.

My fingers tried to entangle themselves with Victor's hair but it was too short. A curse word escaped my lips when I felt his tongue touching a raw bundle of nerves. I wanted to explode when his tongue started playing with my clitoris. Waves and waves of unexplainable pleasure came.

I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO DO THIS REALLY FAST?

As if reading my thoughts, Victor froze.

OK. I took that back. I didn't want him to stop. "Victor," I whined.

He smirked down on me. "What?"

I wasn't going to beg.

He let my legs slipped off his shoulders. He unbuttoned his pants, torturously slow. He pulled it down to his knees. I tried hard not to look down and take a peek.

Without warning, he pulled me closer to his body. My chest was pressing on his and it was only then that I realized that I was covered with sweat. He kissed the top of head before plunging his throbbing member inside me.

Pain. That was the first thing I felt. He was so huge that I had a hard time trying to accommodate him. He growled, and I assumed that he was in a total ecstasy as I was. Unlike the first time, the pain stayed for a shorter period of time before pleasure found its way. My arms were around his neck as I felt him go deeper. He wasn't moving and I wondered if there was something wrong.

"You're so tight," he rumbled, his voice thick with lust.

I shuddered at the sound of his voice—so smooth and deep.

Suddenly, he pulled away and the pleasure was gone. But then as soon as he was out, he went in once more and the pleasure doubled. He did this again and again and each time, ecstasy started building inside me. It was piling on top of each other until I was afraid that the tower it had built would tumble over.

Victor hands grabbed my legs and made me wrap it around his waist, pulling me closer to him and deeper he went inside me. I almost screamed when it felt like he had reached the deepest part of me. He moved his hips making me shiver in bliss. I unwound my arms around his neck and crept beneath his shirt, feeling his firm stomach and his chest hair. It curled around my fingers, adding to the pile of ecstasy building inside me.

He moved in and out of me, following an familiar rhythm. At this, my hips buckled against him and the next thing I knew, my hips moved along that unidentified rhythm. It was then that I realized that the rhythm we were following was the beating of our hearts.

Pleasure. Pain. They were starting to become similar to me.

The rhythm wasn't fast enough.

"Victor," I muttered, fazed.

His lips grazed my ear lobe and he started nipping on it, lightly. His pace became faster. Our heartbeats were lagging behind this unusual rhythm. I felt like my stomach was slowly coiling itself, tightening and tightening. With one last thrust, I felt like every cell in my body exploded, at the same time, lightning started to pass through my veins and arteries instead of blood.

And within some seconds, I was alive.

Victor froze as the muscles surrounding him started to contract. A low rumbled vibrated through his chest and I knew that he was about to get undone.

After a few more seconds, I went limp. My arms felt like marshmallows and my legs felt like jell-o. I leaned my entire weight on Victor's chest. Without any words, he pulled away from me but kept a hand on m shoulder. I felt so drained, beaten and extremely satisfied. He pulled his pants on. Seeing that I was incapable of moving my arms, he fixed my clothes—pulling my shirt down while my shorts up. After dressing me up, he gathered me into his arms and carried me to my room.

For the first time, I ran out of words.

**I know, I suck.** **I'm open for a Beta Reader. Too busy to edit. (And because I absolutely don't know how to write stuffs like this)**

**Current Playlist: It Ends Tonight and SWING SWING by All American Rejects **


	30. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

I know this isn't the update that you were all hoping for but I cannot help but type this. I feel cruel if I don't post this up. Fear not, though, this note won't bring you disappointing news...or so I think it won't.

Before I tell you the good/bad (I'm not sure if it would be a good) news, I would like to thank all of those who really appreciated this story and for those who reviewed it and put it in their favorites/alerts. I don't know how to express my abysmal gratitude properly and I'm very sure that just typing it won't suffice. I can't thank all of you enough. I am literally overflowing with a lot of _pheels_. I'm certain that you know how I'm feeling since we're all writers here, right? Every time I read your reviews (even those that aren't so nice), I feel motivated and more determined to write. You guys were my inspiration to this story and I don't know how I can even reach chapter 29 without you.

And now, to the main point of my Author's Note...

I'm planning to rewrite the whole thing since I've reread it during my summer vacation and realized that it was full of errs and such and it made me want to punch the lights out of my laptop. I won't promise you that the 'rewrite' would be flawless since I'm still human and I'm still developing my writing skills-not to mention, I'm going to be way busier this year since I'm about to go to college so proofreading might be impossible (Heads up to those who want to be my Beta Reader). I hope that I won't disappoint all of you in the next one.

By the way, there will be some minor changes in the story like Elijah's background and Victor's personality (since I realized how his personality was a bit inconsistent at some chapters, but then again, he is Victor Creed). In fact, I think I'm going to rewrite the whole thing. Nevertheless, Elijah would still be the same irritable, sarcastic, pessimistic, stubborn, independent girl you've met.

And...I swear I won't write smut...EVER.

Unless someone changes my mind about that one.

So now, my Author's Note is about to end. I have said what I needed to say and I hope everyone would understand. I'm sorry for the inconvenience and for the long wait. Once again, thank you, everyone, for all your support and love.

-Ysh (June 3, 2012 ; 9:34 P.M.)


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